Ariel

See also: ariel

English

Alternative forms

• Arielle (for female name only)

Etymology

From Biblical Hebrew אֲרִיאֵל (ari'él, a compound of אֲרִי (arí, “lion”) +‎ אֵל (él, “God”), literally “lion of God”).

• (moon of Uranus): All of Uranus’s moons are named after characters created by William Shakespeare or Alexander Pope. The names of all four satellites of Uranus then known were suggested by John Herschel in 1852 at the request of William Lassell, though it is uncertain if Herschel devised the names, or if Lassell did so and then sought Herschel’s permission. Ariel is the name of the leading sylph in Pope’s The Rape of the Lock and also the spirit who serves Prospero in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Pronunciation

• (General American, Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɛɹiəl/
• (Received Pronunciation, without the Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɛəɹɪəl/, /ˈɛəɹiəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Homophones: aerial, areal
• Rhymes: -ɛəɹiəl

Proper noun

Ariel (plural Ariels)

1. (biblical) A name for the city of Jerusalem, the claimed (and de-facto) capital city of modern Israel, and the claimed capital city of modern Palestine.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 29:1:

     Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

2. A male given name from Hebrew, also ascribed to spirits and angels in English literature.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezra 8:16:

     Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and for Elnathan, men of understanding.

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:
     :Scene ii:

     All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I come / To answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly, / To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride / On the curl'd clouds; to thy strong bidding task / Ariel and all his quality.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book CLX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy / The Atheist crew, but with redoubl’d blow / Ariel and Arioc, and the violence / Of Ramiel scorcht and blasted overthrew.

   • 1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, canto:

     Of these am I, who thy Protection claim, / A watchful Sprite, and Ariel is my Name.

   • 1979, Phyllis Chesler, With Child, Crowell, →ISBN, page 121:

     You don't look like a Daniel (your pre-chosen name). There's something fierce and tawny about you. You're the Lion! You're Ariel: God's Lion. You'll be my father Leon's namesake — and for your father, you'll have a Hebrew name.
     I dub thee Ariel, faery spirit of my tempest. You'll be my Jerusalem...

3. A female given name from Hebrew, used mainly since the 1980s.
   • 1992, Kristina Logan, The Right Man for Loving, Thorndike Press, →ISBN, page 190:

     "I'm going to name her Ariel," Laura said, ignoring them completely as she stared down at the baby. "The boys like the name because it's the same as the girl in the Little Mermaid movie. And I like it, because it's pretty."

   • 2018, Jen Kim, Love and…: Bad Boys, “The One” & Other Fun Ways to Sabotage Your Relationship, Skyhorse Publishing, →ISBN:

     All the miniature Cinderellas, Belles, and Ariels who fill the streets every Halloween are essentially paying homage to characters that will slowly and inevitably chip away at their sense of worth in years to come.

4. (astronomy) The brightest moon of the planet Uranus.
5. An Israeli settlement and city in the central West Bank.

Derived terms

• Arielian
• Squariel

Translations

name

• Finnish: Ariel (fi)
• Greek: Ἀριήλ (Ariíl)
• Hebrew: אֲרִיאֵל (he) m
• Hindi: एरियल m (eriyal)
• Italian: Ariele (it) m
• Marathi: एरियल (eriyal)
• Portuguese: Ariel (pt) m
• Russian: Ариэ́ль (ru) f (Ariélʹ)

moon of Uranus

• Finnish: Ariel (fi)
• French: Ariel (fr)
• German: Ariel m
• Italian: Ariele (it) m
• Japanese: アリエル (ja) (Arieru)
• Korean: 아리엘 (Ariel)
• Marathi: एरियल (eriyal)
• Polish: Ariel (pl) m
• Portuguese: Ariel (pt) f
• Russian: Ариэ́ль (ru) f (Ariélʹ)
• Spanish: Ariel (es)

Anagrams

• raile, Reali, Liera, lirae, Alire, ailer

Cebuano

Etymology

From English Ariel. Also from Spanish Ariel. Both from Biblical Hebrew אֲרִיאֵל (ari'él, a compound of אֲרִי (arí, “lion”) +‎ אֵל (él, “God”), literally “lion of God”).

The female given name is from Ariel, the titular character of the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid.

Proper noun

Ariel

1. a male given name from English [in turn from Hebrew]
   • 2013 — Suarez, Lloyd, Sulbad naba gyud ang Kaso ni Jessie Tabanao? (06 November), Super Hirit, Cebu Daily News

     Kinsa man gyud ang mamumuno? Unsa man gyud ang tinuod niyang pangan? Arnel Solivar alias Aye or Ariel Solivar alias Aye?

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2014 — Compio, Jeepy P., Gipa-blow job, Gitulis (24 August), SuperBalita

     Ang suspek giila sa kapulisan nga si Ariel Tamba Gallo, 23, minyo, laborer, nagpuyo sa Madapo Hills, Barangay 5-A Bankerohan, samtang ang biktima giila sa alyas nga Duroy, 24, nagpuyo sa Phase 1, S.I.R Matina.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2015 August 1, Diaz, Bryner L, “Nipalit og Delata Gamit ang pPekeng Kwarta”, in Banat News:

     Ang nasikop naila nga si Ariel Ortado, 32, human gireklamo sa tindera sa usa ka sari-sari store nga fake ang iyang kwartang gigamit og palit.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. a female given name
3. (astronomy) Ariel; one of the moons of Uranus
4. (biblical) Ariel (a name for the city of Jerusalem, the claimed (and de-facto) capital city of modern Israel, and the claimed capital city of modern Palestine)
5. the archangel Ariel
6. a city in the central West Bank

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaːʁi̯eːl/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈaːʁi̯ɛl/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Proper noun

Ariel

1. (biblical) Ariel, a name for the city of Jerusalem
2. (astronomy) Ariel, a moon of Uranus

See also

• Uranus
• Ariel, Miranda, Oberon, Titania, Umbriel

Norwegian Bokmål

Uranus's moon Ariel, photographed by Voyager 2 in 1986.

A view of Ariel in the West Bank.

Etymology

Internationalism, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew אֲרִיאֵל (“Ariel”), traditionally interpreted as אֲרִי (“lion”) + אֵל (“God”), literally “lion of God”. The etymology and meanings of the Biblical Hebrew term are disputed; another interpretation associates it with an altar hearth. In the Hebrew Bible, אֲרִיאֵל occurs both as a personal name and as a poetic designation for Jerusalem.

The moon of Uranus was discovered by William Lassell in 1851. Its name was proposed by John Herschel and comes from the literary Ariel, the air spirit in The Tempest by William Shakespeare and the sylph in The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope.

The modern city of Ariel was established in 1978 and was named from the biblical use of Ariel as a designation for Jerusalem and the Temple.

Compare the parallel international forms Finnish Ariel, German Ariel, French Ariel, Polish Ariel, Portuguese Ariel, Spanish Ariel and English Ariel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /¹ˈɑː.ri.ɛl/, [ˈɑ̀ː.rɪ.ɛ̌l] (common given-name pronunciation)
• IPA^(key): /¹a.riˈelː/, [a.rɪˈèlː] (traditional, literary and astronomical pronunciation)
• Rhymes: -ɑːriɛl (initial stress)
• Rhymes: -elː (final stress)
• Hyphenation: A‧ri‧el

Proper noun

Ariel

1. (biblical) a poetic name for Jerusalem, especially in the Book of Isaiah
   • traditional, Jesaja [Isaiah], 29:1:

     Ve Ariel, Ariel, byen som David beleiret!

     Woe, Ariel, Ariel, the city that David besieged!

2. a unisex given name from Biblical Hebrew

   Ariel brukes både som gutte- og jentenavn i Norge. ― Ariel is used as both a male and female given name in Norway.

   • traditional, Esra [Ezra], 8:16:

     Jeg sendte da bud på ættehøvdingene Elieser, Ariel, Sjemaja, Elnatan, Jarib, Elnatan, Natan, Sakarja og Mesjullam.

     I then sent for the family heads Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam.

3. (rare) a surname from Biblical Hebrew
4. (astronomy) Ariel; the fourth-largest moon of Uranus, discovered by William Lassell in 1851

   Voyager 2 fløy forbi Ariel i 1986. ― Voyager 2 flew past Ariel in 1986.

   • 2025 February 24, Maria Hammerstrøm, Kaare Aksnes, “Ariel – måne”, in Store norske leksikon‎^[1]:

     Ariel er en av månene til planeten Uranus.

     Ariel is one of the moons of the planet Uranus.

5. a city in the West Bank; an Israeli settlement established in 1978

   Ariel ligger på Vestbredden. ― Ariel is located in the West Bank.

   • 2011 August 15, “Israel sier ja til 277 nye bosetterhjem”, in VG‎^[2]:

     Israels forsvarsminister Ehud Barak har godkjent at det bygges 277 nye boliger i den store israelske bosetningen Ariel på den okkuperte Vestbredden.

     Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak has approved the construction of 277 new homes in the large Israeli settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank.

Usage notes

• The Norwegian name day for Ariel is 31 August. The name was added to the Norwegian name-day calendar from 2026.
• The given name is used for both sexes in Norway. Its use as a female given name became established from the 1990s, influenced in particular by modern literary and media uses of the name.
• The name also occurs for supernatural figures in European literature and demonology. Shakespeare's Ariel is an air spirit in The Tempest, Milton uses Ariel as the name of a rebel angel in Paradise Lost, and in later demonology Ariel is described as a water spirit.

Related terms

• arielglass (“Ariel glass”)

Statistics

• According to data from Statistics Norway for 2025, 634 girls and women in Norway had Ariel as a given name, and 25 girls received the name that year.
• Babyverden, citing Statistics Norway, reports 144 boys and men in Norway with Ariel as a given name.
• According to Statistics Norway-derived data reported by Navneguiden, 4 people in Norway bear Ariel as a surname.

See also

Solar System in Norwegian Bokmål · solsystemet (layout · text)
Star	sola ~ solen
IAU planets and notable dwarf planets	Merkur	Venus	jorda ~ jorden (Tellus)	Mars	Ceres	Jupiter	Saturn	Uranus	Neptun	Pluto	Eris
Notable moons	—	—	månen	Phobos Deimos	—	Io Europa Ganymedes Callisto	Mimas Enceladus Tethys Dione Rhea Titan Iapetus	Miranda Ariel Umbriel Titania Oberon	Triton	Charon	Dysnomia

References

• “Ariel” in Store norske leksikon
• “Ariel – kvinnenamn” in Store norske leksikon.
• “Ariel – mannsnamn” in Store norske leksikon.
• “Ariel – måne” in Store norske leksikon.
• “Navn”, Statistics Norway.

Anagrams

• leira

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English Ariel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.rjɛl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -arjɛl
• Syllabification: A‧riel

Proper noun

Ariel m pers

1. (astronomy) Ariel (brightest moon of the planet Uranus)

Declension

Declension of Ariel

	singular	plural
nominative	Ariel	Ariele/Arile (deprecative)
genitive	Arila	Arili
dative	Arilowi	Arilom
accusative	Arila	Arili
instrumental	Arilem	Arilami
locative	Arilu	Arilach
vocative	Arilu	Ariele

See also

Solar System in Polish · Układ Słoneczny (layout · text)
Star	Słońce
IAU planets and notable dwarf planets	Merkury	Wenus	Ziemia	Mars	Ceres	Jowisz	Saturn	Uran	Neptun	Pluton	—
Notable moons	—	—	Księżyc	Fobos Deimos	—	Io Europa Ganimedes Kallisto	Mimas Enceladus Tetyda Dione Rea Tytan Japet	Miranda Ariel Umbriel Tytania Oberon	Tryton	Charon	—

Further reading

• Ariel in PWN's encyclopedia

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.ɾiˈɛw/ [a.ɾiˈɛʊ̯], (faster) /aˈɾjɛw/ [aˈɾjɛʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐˈɾjɛl/ [ɐˈɾjɛɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐˈɾjɛl/ [ɐˈɾjɛɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐˈɾjɛ.li/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɛl, (Brazil) -ɛw
• Hyphenation: A‧ri‧el

Proper noun

Ariel m or f by sense (plural Ariéis)

1. a unisex given name, equivalent to English Ariel

Proper noun

Ariel f

1. (astronomy) Ariel (moon of Uranus)
2. Ariel (a city in the West Bank)

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈɾjel/ [aˈɾjel]
  • Rhymes: -el
  • Syllabification: A‧riel
• IPA^(key): /aɾiˈel/ [a.ɾiˈel]
  • Rhymes: -el
  • Syllabification: A‧ri‧el

Proper noun

Ariel m or f

1. a unisex given name from Biblical Hebrew

Turkish

Proper noun

Ariel

1. (astronomy) Ariel

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈarjɛl/

Proper noun

Ariel m

1. a male given name from arial (“vigour”), variant of Arial
2. (astronomy) Ariel (a moon of Uranus)

See also

Solar System in Welsh · Cysawd yr Haul (layout · text)
Star	yr Haul
IAU planets and notable dwarf planets	Mercher	Gwener	y Ddaear	Mawrth	Ceres	Iau	Sadwrn	Wranws	Neifion	Plwton	Eris
Notable moons	—	—	y Lleuad	Phobos Deimos	—	Io Ewropa Ganymede Callisto	Mimas Enceladws Tethys Dione Rhea Titan Iapetws	Miranda Ariel Umbriel Titania Oberon	Triton	Charon	Dysnomia

Mutation

Mutated forms of Ariel

radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
Ariel	unchanged	unchanged	Hariel

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

Heini Gruffudd (2010), Enwau Cymraeg i Blant / Welsh Names for Children‎^[3], Y Lolfa, →ISBN, page 20 of 192