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Don't like, don't know any under 60

I was just thinking about Gail / Gale / Gayle etc. a few days ago, I actually think it’s quite nice but prefer it as a nickname for Abigail than on its own. I think the popularity of Gal Gadot helps it feel more modern.

I rather like it for a girl with either the Gayle or Gail spelling. It peaked in 1951 and fell off the list by the mid-50’s. It’s got a crisp sassy style that is not much in vogue these days.

Nope! Never seen or met a Gail, maybe it's a Texas thing? maybe not?

It has a reputation as an old lady name, which is a shame because I like it. I think it's a much nicer nickname for Abigail than Abby.

I like Gail as a middle name. It's a little different, light and pretty. Dorothy Gale (used here as a surname) is the name of the character in The Wizard of Oz. Gail peaked in 1950.

Gail is like if someone literally decided to make a name out of the ugly part of Abigail.

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Only a small handful I've known irl and they were all old. It's right up there with Gertrude or Eustace in my book.

It's completely dead.

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Middle aged woman who knows it all.

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Yes.

I think Gayle has some charm and grace, it makes me think of a 1930s starlet, but Gail does nothing for me. Most Gails are older women so it's a "grandma" name to me, but I did know a young Gail when I was in art school.
Gail seems like a very lukewarm sort of name. The Gails I've known have been passive aggressive and the kind of people who smile to your face but talk about you behind your back, so that colours my perception of the name quite a bit.

I find this name lifeless and ugly, sorry.

I adore Gail in theory, but in reality the women I have known named Gail have been uniformly difficult to deal with. That kind of spoils it for me.

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It’s very much an over 50s name here.

I'm not in an English speaking country. I don't know anyone named Gail. But I believe it is common for women in their 60s and older elsewhere.

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A Gail is a nice, really normal woman in her 60s. Typical mom. Had kids in the 80s. Drove them to soccer practice and cheerleading. Made cupcakes for yard sales. Like moms in 80s movies. Blond, I guess. Slim, takes good care of her looks.

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The sound is not appealing to me. Sort of like a cross between "gay" and "ghoul". Being gay is normal, don't get me wrong, I just wouldn't want the sound in my name just as I wouldn't want a name that sounded close to "straight" or other vocabulary words (unless they had a super magical meaning like Fay or something). I really have a problem with these things, since someone pointed out that Amanda sounds like "a man, duh" it's all I hear and I stopped liking Anouk because someone said "a nuke" :(

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Then there's Gale which is a bit better because it looks nicer and more nature-like (as in Storm, River etc.). And it has a unisex quality and Gale of "The Hunger Games" which makes it a tiny bit cooler and more modern.

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I also think that Abigail is ugly but I like it a bit anyway. And yes, I do think that Abigail only ever became common because people like Abby. I know lots of them and they are all always Abby.

This message was edited 3/1/2022, 2:10 PM

I've met two. One is my grandmother and the other is a girl I went to school with (her full name is Abigail but she HATED being called Abby so she started answering to Gail). I kind of like it, but not enough to use it.

I like Gail. It's my grandmother's name. I can totally imagine Gail on any age.

One of my best friends in middle school was named Gail. She was great. I miss her. (I'm 25 and she was a day older than me) It was also the name of a childhood friend's mom. I like it. I think I like Gale better, but Gail is also good.

I regret never having met a Gail. I find Storm very silly as a human name, but Gail (not Gale) seems fine for some reason. Modern Abigail people seem to go by Abby, which I don't enjoy.