Gayle as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Gayle

What is the meaning of the name Gayle ?

The baby name Gayle is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /ɡeɪl/ (GAYL).

Gayle is English in Origin.

Gayle is an English given name, most commonly feminine, that developed as a spelling variant of Gail, itself a clipped form of Abigail. Through this route it inherits the Hebrew meaning of Abigail (Avigayil): "my father rejoices," often rendered "source of joy." As an independent given name, Gayle rose sharply in the English-speaking world during the mid-20th century, especially in the United States, before receding in popularity after the 1970s.

While largely used for girls, Gayle is also encountered as a unisex name because of its overlap with Gale, an English surname and given name; this parallel sometimes adds an older English nuance of "merry" or "cheerful" to its associations. Common variants and related forms include Gail, Gale, Gaile, Gayla, Gaylene/Gayleen, and the root name Abigail (with spellings such as Abigael, Abigale, and Hebrew Avigail). Nicknames include Gay, Gaye, and Abi/Abby.