Gretel
Girl name · #3258 in 2025 · Uniqueness 71/100
In 2025, 48 baby girls were named Gretel, placing it at #3258 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #4069, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 37,500 girls born in 2025 was named Gretel.
Babies named Gretel per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 110-year story
Gretel first appears in the Social Security records in 1915, when 7 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 68 babies and a rank of #2579. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Gretel against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Gretel in class?
Gretel scores 71 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Gretel will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Gretel is most common
State-level data for Gretel is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Gretel
Statistically, parents drawn to Gretel tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Gittel, Grettel, Cristel, Raizel, and Israel.
GittelGrettelCristelRaizelIsraelPerelHayzelRebel
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Gretel | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 48 | #3249 |
| 2024 | 49 | #3225 |
| 2023 | 50 | #3225 |
| 2022 | 68 | #2579 |
| 2021 | 49 | #3250 |
| 2020 | 43 | #3498 |
| 2019 | 40 | #3718 |
| 2018 | 45 | #3438 |
| 2017 | 41 | #3697 |
| 2016 | 57 | #2934 |
| 2015 | 36 | #4069 |
| 2014 | 63 | #2739 |
| 2013 | 46 | #3404 |
| 2012 | 37 | #4047 |
| 2011 | 37 | #3999 |
| 2010 | 33 | #4397 |
| 2009 | 25 | #5537 |
| 2008 | 19 | #6799 |
| 2007 | 15 | #8098 |
| 2006 | 20 | #6356 |
| 2005 | 20 | #5999 |
| 2004 | 20 | #5969 |
| 2003 | 21 | #5586 |
| 2002 | 14 | #7444 |
| 2001 | 22 | #5174 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Gretel a popular girl name?
Gretel ranked #3258 among girls in 2025 with 48 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4069.
When was the name Gretel most popular?
Gretel peaked in 2022, when 68 American girls received the name (ranked #2579 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Gretel?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 37,500 newborn American girls was named Gretel. It scores 71/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.