Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Ariel

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ARIEL

GENDER: Masculine & Feminine

USAGE: Hebrew, English, French, Biblical, Biblical Greek

OTHER SCRIPTS: אֲרִיאֵל (Hebrew), Αριηλ (Ancient Greek)

PRONOUNCED: AR-ee-əl (English), ER-ee-əl (English), AY-ree-əl (English) [key]

Meaning & History

Means "lion of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare used it as the name of a spirit in his play 'The Tempest' (1611), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour. As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Walt Disney film 'The Little Mermaid' (1989).

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