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Hazel

Girl name · 2,723 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Hazel: 2,723 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 178 births in 1974.

Derived from the Old English *hæsel*, Hazel began as a topographic surname for someone who lived near a hazel tree, and later a given name evoking the tree's delicate catkins and the hazelnut itself. The hazel tree has long been associated with wisdom and protection in Celtic folklore—its wood was traditionally used for dowsing rods. A famous bearer is Hazel Lavery, the American-born Irish artist and society beauty whose portrait appeared on Irish banknotes from 1928 to 1975. The actress Hazel Court brought the name to Hollywood's attention. There are several places called Hazel in Australia, Canada, and the United States, often named for the tree rather than a person. Though primarily used for girls, it was occasionally given to boys in 19th-century Scotland.