Variant of Gail, a short form of Abigail, from Hebrew meaning 'father's joy.'
Gayle is an anglicized variant of Gail, itself a shortened form of the ancient Hebrew name Abigail, meaning "my father's joy" or "source of joy." The name traveled through centuries of Biblical tradition before shedding its longer form in the twentieth century, when clipped, bright-sounding names became fashionable across the English-speaking world. The spelling with a "y" gave it a slightly more distinctive, modernist feel compared to its plainer twin Gale.
The name found notable cultural footing mid-century, carried by figures such as Gayle Sayers, the legendary Chicago Bears running back whose memoir and subsequent film "Brian's Song" made him a household name in the 1970s, and talk-show host Gayle King, whose decades-long friendship with Oprah Winfrey kept the name in the public eye well into the twenty-first century. In literature, the name occasionally appears as a sturdy Midwestern or Southern character name, grounding stories in an unpretentious, salt-of-the-earth sensibility. Gayle peaked in American popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, riding the same wave as similar short-vowel names like Joyce, Faye, and Rae.
It subsequently declined as parents sought longer, more elaborate choices, but its very compactness now gives it a retro appeal — clean, memorable, and unburdened by the excesses of trendier eras. It occupies a quiet, dignified space, the name of someone who does not need to announce herself.