Lael is a Hebrew name from the Book of Numbers that means "belonging to God" or "of God", borne by the father of a Levite chief. It is a rare, soft-sounding biblical pick that fits the taste for short names ending in -el, like Gael and Uriel, and it is used for both boys and girls. Lael made a sharp move from number 3,038 in 2023 to number 1,479 in 2024 and on to number 1,264 among boys' names in 2025, its best rank yet.