Ariel peaked for boys in 1991, the same year Disney's The Little Mermaid was saturating pop culture. The timing looks like a curse, but the name's history as a male name goes back thousands of years, and its current rank of #511 for boys shows that some parents haven't let a red-haired princess claim it entirely.
A Name From the Hebrew Bible
Ariel appears in the Hebrew Bible as a poetic name for Jerusalem, translated variously as "lion of God" or "hearth of God" from ari (lion) and El (God). It's also the name of a character in Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611), where Ariel is a spirit of air serving Prospero. That ambiguity is baked into the name's literary DNA. With 21,430 total SSA bearers, Ariel has a genuine presence as a U.S. male name. Current rank: #511.
The Disney Problem and the Hebrew Solution
The 1989 film was a turning point: before it, Ariel was used primarily for boys; after, it skewed female in American usage. In Hebrew-speaking and Jewish communities, Ariel (ארִיאֵל) has remained a standard male name without interruption. Hebrew names often read differently across cultural contexts, and Ariel is a clear example.
Is This a Boy's Name or a Girl's Name?
Both, depending on context. Shakespeare used it as neither and both. Jewish tradition uses it for boys. Disney made it a girl's name for one generation. If you're drawn to Ariel for a son, the strongest case is cultural and historical: the name carries more male weight across more centuries than its current American perception suggests. Consider it alongside Gabriel or Raphael, where the same angelic register holds for boys without question.