Ariel is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning "lion of God." It is derived from the Hebrew words "arie," meaning lion, and "el," meaning God. The name Ariel has a rich history in literature and pop culture, appearing in works such as Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" and the Disney animated film "The Little Mermaid." In both cases, the character Ariel is portrayed as brave and adventurous, reflecting the strength and courage associated with the name's meaning. Despite its origins and literary associations, Ariel remains a unique and distinctive name choice for boys or girls today.
Based on the provided statistics, the name Ariel has seen varying popularity over time in the United States. The trend begins with a low point of 6 births in 1982, followed by steady increases, reaching its peak popularity in 1990 and 1991 with 26 and 27 births respectively.
However, after this peak, the name's popularity declined significantly. There were only 15 births in 1996, which is less than half of the previous year's number. This decreasing trend continued until 2000, when there were 12 births recorded.
After 2000, the popularity of the name Ariel started to fluctuate slightly. There was a brief increase between 2001 and 2003, with 7, 10, and 11 births respectively. However, this was followed by another decrease, reaching as low as 5 births in 2007.
Since then, the popularity of the name Ariel has remained relatively stable, with fluctuations between 5 and 7 births per year until 2014, except for a spike to 10 births in 2005. Overall, the total number of births with the name Ariel in the United States from 1982 to 2014 is 299.