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The first name 
Hazel

Hazel is a first name typically given to girls, but in rare cases also used as a boys name.

The name Hazel is very popular!

The first name Hazel is one of the top 100 most popular girls names in the US – currently at #46 in our SmartGenius ranking. Over 1,000 babies each year are named Hazel, accounting for approximately 0.30 % of all newborn girls. In the entire USA, approximately 233,181 people – children, adults and seniors – currently bear the name Hazel. That is 0.07 % of all living Americans.

You won't believe all there is 
to discover about the name
 
Hazel

What does the name 
Hazel mean?

Hazel is derived from the name of the hazel tree and comes from the Old English word ‘hæsel’ which means ‘hazel tree’. This tree was highly valued in ancient times for its nuts and wood, which were used for food and for making tools and weapons.

The hazelnut was considered... a symbol of wisdom and knowledge, so, the name Hazel is often associated with wisdom, knowledge and learning.

There are several well-known people with the name Hazel

Jazz and classic pianist

Hazel Scott (1920 - 1981)
Hazel Scott was a Trinidadian-American jazz and classical pianist, singer, and actress. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, she and her family moved to New York City when she was five years old. Scott began playing the piano at an early age and was soon performing in New York's most prestigious jazz clubs. She was one of the first African Americans to appear on a regular television show and was considered one of the finest jazz pianists of her time. Scott was also politically active and committed to civil rights.

An Irish actress

Hazel Doupe (*2002)
Hazel Doupe is an Irish actress best known for her work in the theater. She has appeared in many theater productions in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and has been praised for her acting skills and stage presence. In addition to her theater work, she has also had small roles in a number of films and series, including 'Ripper Street' (2013), 'Into the Badlands' (2017), and 'You Are Not My Mother' (2021).

A devoted wife, hunter and farmer

Hazel Carter (1894 - 1916)
Known as a skilled hunter and farmer, she followed her husband into World War I after the Red Cross in Douglas refused to accept her. She cut her hair short and stole an army uniform. She boarded the same train as her husband, was discovered and sent back, but got back on the train and made it to the ship that was taking the soldiers. Only after five days did her voice give her away. Her husband was demoted from corporal to private as a result of the debacle. Carter wrote a series of four articles describing her experience, which were published by several newspapers across the country.

A commercial airline pilot

Hazel Ying Lee (1912 - 1944)
Hazel Ying Lee was a Chinese-American pilot and one of the first Asian women to work as a commercial airline pilot. She graduated from flight school in 1936 and that same year joined the Wings of Mercy program, which helped transport hospital patients to cities for medical care. Lee was an experienced airplane pilot when she joined the U.S. Army Air Forces Ferry Command in 1943, which helped deliver war supplies and equipment to the front lines. Lee was killed on a mission in India in 1944. She was posthumously honored as the first Asian woman to die in the U.S. armed forces.

Go on a journey to places 
with your name

When you hear the name Hazel, you might first think of a woman or a girl. But did you know that there are also places with the name Hazel? Are you also called Hazel? Maybe one day you will visit the places that are named just like you...

The origin...

of the name of the Kentucky town of Hazel is unclear: it may have been derived from the local hazel bushes, or from an alleged daughter of a railroad conductor or the first postmaster.

A organ

The Hazel Wright Organ is the organ at Christ Cathedral, the Episcopal seat of the Diocese of Orange. It is named for Hazel Wright of Chicago, who donated $2 million for its construction.

Hazel -
very popular in the late 19th century

Appearing throughout the time in the United States, the name Hazel is a staple in the country: Girls have been given the name Hazel for more than 140 years, according to official U.S. naming statistics. Hazel is therefore one of the 432 girls’ names that have been given every year since 1880. Even beyond that, Hazel is a very special name that peaked in popularity over 100 years ago in the 19th century, ranking in the top 100 girls' names in our SmartGenius first name statistics: With #18 Hazel has never been more popular than back in 1897.

In years where the graph has no value, the name Hazel was given less than five times or even none at all in the entire USA.

6,153 newborn babies with the name Hazel in 2022

As many as 6,153 babies were named Hazel in the USA in 2022, ranking it #26 on the list of the most popular girls' names for that year. However, it experienced its lowest point of popularity in 1983, when it was only ranked #1,237 of all female names in our SmartGenius statistics – back then only 90 girls were named Hazel.

Hazel -
well known in all states of the USA, most popular in Arkansas

There are only 537 different women’s names registered in every single state in the U.S., and Hazel is one of them. However, Hazel is not equally widespread in all states, but people in Arkansas seem to particularly fancy this name – the 6,450 women called Hazel who live here are 0,395% of all female residents and push their name up to #46, easily placing it in the top 100 most common female names in Arkansas.

Hazel has 5 letters 
and begins with an H

Well, you might say, you probably figured that out yourself! But what you might not know is: The letter H is quite rare as a first letter for girls' names: only 1.7% of all common girls' names in the US begin with H. The most common first letters of girls' names, by the way, are A, S and M, while U, X and Q are the least common initials of girls' names.

With five letters, the name Hazel is comparatively short. In fact, 17.0% of all common first names in the US consist of exactly five letters. Only 7% of all first names are even shorter, while 75% have more than five letters. On average, first names in the US (not counting hyphenated names) are 6.5 letters long. There are no significant differences between boys' and girls' names.

Therefore: As 1.7% of all girls' names begin with an H, this initial letter is less common than the other letters on average. Interesting detail: of all the names that begin with an H, Helen is the most common.

Other names with 
H, a, z, e and l

If you take all the letters in the name Hazel – H, a, z, e and l – and put them together again, you can form other names, such as Hazle or others.

With hands, flags and sounds 
How to say Hazel

If your name is Hazel and someone asks after your name, you can of course just tell them what it is. But sometimes that isn't so easy - what if it's too loud, and you don't understand them well? Or what if the other person is so far away that you can see them but not hear them? In these situations, you can communicate your name in so many other ways: you call spell it, sign it, or even use a flag to wave it...

This is how you spell the name Hazel

So that everyone really understands you when you have to spell the name Hazel, you can simply say:

Hat

Apple

Zebra

Elephant

Lion

This is how the name Hazel is spelled in the NATO phonetic alphabet

The NATO alphabet often helps people spell words on the phone or radio when there are communication problems.

How do you write Hazel in Braille?

Braille is made up of dots, which the blind and visually impaired can feel to read words.

Hazel

Hazel

You want to tell a deaf person that your name is Hazel

Just use American Sign Language!

The name Hazel is particularly colorful in the Semaphore flag signaling system!

These flags are used for maritime communication - each flag represents a letter.

H
A
Z
E
L

Have you ever waved the name Hazel

In the navy, sailors of two ships might wave flags to each other to send messages. A sailor holds two flags in specific positions to represent different letters.

H
A
Z
E
L

Beeping like crazy...

In Morse code, letters and other characters are represented only by a series of short and long tones. For example, a short tone followed by a long tone stands for the letter A. Hazel sounds like this: