The name Ariel is quite old and has been used for hundreds of years, although today it is popularized as the name of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” However, what few know is that Ariel is actually a male name.

Thanks to the Disney character, it has become a name that many consider feminine, so it could actually be used in both genders as it is a unisex name. Although if we look at its meaning and history, the correct thing to do would be to use the name in a boy for the masculine gender.

What does the name Ariel mean?

The name Arie comes from ‘ãrî´el’, which means ‘Lion of God’ , although it can also come from ‘ãr’el’, which means ‘ Altar of God’ . So it is clear that the name has, directly, a religious meaning.

Ariel is a name that has many biblical references, in addition to the fact that its name can refer to one of the angels that have that name, you can consult the names of angels on our website if you are more curious about them.

Although its official meaning is ‘ Lion of God ‘, due to the angel that bears his name it could also mean ‘ blessed by the angel Ariel ‘, so its meaning may vary depending on the meaning that the parents want to give it or from the point of view in which you want to see.

Origin or etymology

As we already mentioned, Ariel is a masculine name and has a Hebrew origin. Saint Ariel was the person who helped Archangel Raphael to heal all humans, animals and plants that needed his help, so the name also has certain attributes of healing and hope. Also, in the bible the name is used as a symbol of Jerusalem and the Temple of Jerusalem .

The most “modern” diffusion of the masculine name is due to English literature, where we can find that one of the characters in Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ bears that name.

Also, due to the children’s film in many countries of the world it has been given another meaning and has been adapted as a name for women. Actually, the feminine form of the name is Ariela .

Variations in other languages

As it is a name with Hebrew origin, it is used in many countries, so it is possible to find some variations of the name Ariel , although they are not very significant and it is very easy to recognize it.

In Spanish, English, German, Asturian, Catalan, Danish, Latin, Portuguese and other languages, the name Ariel does not have any change.

However, in French it can be found as Arielle, in Italian as Ariele, in Lithuanian as Arielis and in Dutch as Ariël. It is a very common name in Spain, Argentina and France.

Ariel’s Shrine

The Santoral de Ariel takes place on March 4 . However, in some sources it is mentioned that the Catholic saint is October 1.

Diminutives of Ariel

As it is a name that only has five letters, it does not have many options for diminutives that sound good, so the only diminutive that is used with the name Ariel is Ari , (very important not to confuse with the name Ariadna ) being a very simple to refer to people who have this name.

In addition, you can also find more names in our list of names that begin with A , do not hesitate to consult any meaning of names through our portal.

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