Joel (given name)

Joel or Yoel is a male given name derived from יוֹאֵל Standard Hebrew, Yoʾel, Tiberian Hebrew, or Yôʾēl, meaning "Yahu is god", "YHWH is God", or the modern translation "Yahweh is God". Joel as a given name appears in the Hebrew Bible.

Biblical figures

 * Joel, Jewish Biblical prophet
 * Joel (biblical figure), several minor figures in the Hebrew Bible

Others

 * Joel of Dotawo, Sudanese ruler
 * Joel Achenbach (born 1960), American staff writer for The Washington Post and author
 * Joel Acosta (born 1991), Argentine footballer
 * Joel Amoroso (born 1998, Argentine footballer
 * Joel Anderson (born 1960), California politician
 * Joël Ayayi (born 2000), French basketball player
 * Joel John Bailey (born 1980), Canadian soccer player
 * Joel Conrad Bakan (born 1959), Canadian lawyer and writer
 * Yoel Chehanovich (born 1993), Israeli footballer
 * Joel Barbosa (born 1983), Argentine footballer
 * Joel Barlow (1754–1812), American poet and politician
 * Joel Barnett (1923–2014), British politician
 * Joel Barr (1916–1998) American spy for the Soviet Union
 * Joël Batteux (1943–2021), French politician
 * Joel Beckett (born 1973), English actor
 * Joel Beinin (born 1948), American historian of the Middle East
 * Joel Benjamin (born 1964), American chess grandmaster
 * Joel Berghult (born 1988), Swedish musician and YouTuber
 * Joel Bomgar (born 1980), American businessman and politician
 * Joel Bouagnon (born 1995), American football player
 * Joël Bouchard (born 1974), Canadian ice hockey player
 * Joel Bowden (born 1978), Australian rules footballer
 * Joel Brand (1906–1964), Hungarian who had a prominent role in trying to save the Hungarian Jewish community
 * Joel Breton, American game producer, DJ and entrepreneur
 * Joel Brind, American scientist and anti-abortion activist
 * Joel Brooks (born 1949), American actor
 * Joel Brutus (born 1974), Haitian judoka
 * Joel Carli (born 1986), Argentine retired footballer
 * Joel Carpenter (1914–1965), American screenwriter
 * Joel Carreño (born 1987), Dominican baseball player
 * Joel Casamayor (born 1981), Cuban boxer
 * Joel Chan (actor) (born 1976), Hong Kong actor and singer
 * Joel Chan (photographer), Singaporean photographer
 * Joel Clinton (born 1981), Australian rugby footballer
 * Joel Coen (born 1954), American director and producer
 * Joel Connable (1973–2012), American news reporter, paramedic, and private pilot
 * Joel Courtney (born 1996), American actor
 * Joel Crawford (director), American story artist and film director
 * Joel Crawford (politician) (1783–1858), American politician, soldier and lawyer
 * Joel Crothers (1941–1985), American actor
 * Joel Cummins (born 1975), American musician
 * Joel DeLisa, American physiatrist
 * Joel Dommett (born 1985), British comedian, actor and presenter
 * Joel Dorn (1942–2007), American music producer and record label entrepreneur
 * Joel Dublanko (born 1998), American football player
 * Joel Edgerton (born 1974), Australian actor
 * Joel Ekelöf, Swedish vocalist of the band Soen
 * Joel Embiid (born 1994), Cameroonian basketball player
 * Joel Engle (born 1968), American recording artist
 * Joel Erhardt (1838–1909), Commissioner of Police of New York City
 * Joel Fabiani (born 1936), American actor
 * Joel Feinberg (1926–2004), American political and social philosopher
 * Joel Fitzgibbon (born 1962), Australian politician
 * Joel Freeland (born 1987), British basketball player
 * Joël Fuchs (born 1989), Swiss basketball player
 * Joel Fuhrman (born 1953), American physician and author
 * Joel Garner (born 1952), West Indian cricketer
 * Joel Garreau (born 1948), American journalist and author
 * Joel Geist (born 1982), American actor
 * Joel Gerber (1940–2022) Chief Judge of the United States Tax Court
 * Joel Gertner (born 1975), American wrestling personality
 * Joel Gion (born 1970 or 1971), American musician
 * Joel Gistedt (born 1987), Swedish ice hockey player
 * Joel Glazer (born 1967), part of the Glazer family
 * Joel Glucksman (born 1949), American Olympic fencer
 * Joel Godard (born 1938), American television announcer
 * Joel Goldsmith (1957–2012), American composer of film, television music and video games
 * Joel S. Goldsmith (1892–1964), American author, teacher, spiritual healer, mystic and founder of the Infinite Way movement
 * Joel Gordon, Canadian actor and filmmaker
 * Joel Gordon (American football), American football coach and former player
 * Joel Greenberg (historian) (born 1946), English educational technology consultant and historian
 * Joel Greenberg (politician) (born 1984), American politician and former Florida tax collector
 * Joel Greenblatt (born 1957), American academic, hedge fund manager, investor, and writer
 * Joel Gretsch (born 1963), American actor
 * Joel Grey (born 1932), American actor
 * Joel Hailey (born 1969), American musician
 * Joel Hanrahan (born 1981), American baseball player
 * Joel Chandler Harris (1848–1908), American journalist
 * Joel Heath (born 1903), American football player
 * Joel Hefley (born 1935), American politician
 * Joel Heyman (born 1971), American voice actor
 * Joel Higgins (born 1943), American actor and singer
 * Joel Henry Hildebrand (1881–1983) American educator and a pioneer chemist
 * Joel Hirschhorn (1937–2005), American songwriter
 * Joel Hodgson (born 1960), American creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Joel Robinson, the character he plays on the show
 * Joel Hoekstra (born 1970), American guitarist
 * Joel Holmes (1821–1872), British soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross
 * Joel Horlen (1937–2022), American All Star baseball player
 * Joel Houston (born 1979), Australian musician and songwriter, worship leader at the Hillsong Church
 * Joel Hurt (1850–1926), American businessman and developer
 * Joel Hyatt (born 1950), American businessman, attorney and politician
 * Joel Isasi (born 1967), Cuban sprinter
 * Joel Iyiegbuniwe (born 1995), American football player
 * Joël Jeannot (born 1965), French Olympic wheelchair racer
 * Joel Jones (born 1981), Puerto Rican basketball player
 * Yoel Juárez (born 2002), Argentine footballer
 * Joel Kaplan (born 1969), American political advisor
 * Joel Kauffman (born 1985), American stock car racer
 * Joel Kinnaman (born 1979), Swedish-American actor
 * Joel Klein (born 1946), Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education
 * Joel Kovel (1936–2018), American politician, academic, writer and eco-socialist
 * Joel Kramer (born 1955), American basketball player
 * Joel Kwiatkowski (born 1977), Canadian ice hockey player
 * Joel Landau, American entrepreneur, founder of The Allure Group
 * Joel Landau (rabbi), American rabbi
 * Joel Lane (1963–2013), British author, poet, critic and anthology editor
 * Joel Lanning (born 1994), American football player
 * Joël Le Tac (1918–2005), member of the Free French Forces (FFF) during the Second World War
 * Joël Le Theule (1930–1980), French politician
 * Joel Lebowitz (born 1930), American mathematical physicist
 * Joel S. Levine (born 1942), American planetary and atmospheric scientist
 * Joel López Pissano (born 1997), Argentine footballer
 * Joel Löwe (1760–1802), German Biblical commentator
 * Joel Luani (born 1992), Australian rugby player
 * Joel Lundqvist (born 1982), Swedish ice hockey player
 * Joel Lynch (born 1987), British football player
 * Joel Madden (born 1979), American musician, lead vocalist for Good Charlotte
 * Joel Dawit Makonnen (born 1982), Ethiopian prince
 * Joel Makower (born 1952), American entrepreneur, writer, and strategist
 * Joel Antônio Martins (1931–2003), Brazilian footballer known as "Joel"
 * Joël Matip (born 1991), Cameroonian footballer
 * Joel McCormack, American computer scientist
 * Joel McCrea (1905–1990), American actor
 * Joel McHale (born 1971), American actor and host
 * Joel McIlroy (born 1973), Australian actor
 * Joel McIver (born 1971), British author
 * Joel McNeely (born 1959), American music composer for movies and television
 * Joël Mergui (born 1958), French Jewish official
 * Joel Meyerowitz (born 1938), American photographer
 * Joel Meyers, American sportscaster
 * Joel David Moore (born 1977), American actor
 * Joel Moses (1941–2022), Israel-born American computer scientist
 * Joel Müller (1897–1895) German rabbi
 * Joel Muñoz (born 1980), Panamanian basketball player
 * Joel Murray (born 1963), American actor
 * Joel Myers (born 1939), American businessman, founder, president and chairman of the board of AccuWeather, Inc.
 * Joël Gustave Nana Ngongang (1982–2015), Cameroonian activist for LGBT human rights & HIV/AIDS in Africa
 * Joel Oppenheimer (1930–1988) American poet
 * Joel Osteen (1983), American author, pastor, and televangelist
 * Joel Otto (1961), American ice hockey player
 * Joel Palmer (1810–1881), American pioneer, author and politician
 * Joel Parker (American football) (b. 1952), American football player
 * Joel Parker (clergyman) (1799–1873), American Presbyterian clergyman
 * Joel Parker (jurist) (1795–1875), American jurist from New Hampshire
 * Joel Parker (politician) (1816–1888), American politician for the Democratic Party
 * Joel Peralta (born 1976), Dominican baseball player
 * Joel Perovuo (born 1985), Finnish football player
 * Joel Pimentel de León (born 1999), American singer
 * Joel Piñeiro (born 1978), American baseball player
 * Joel Plaskett (born 1975), Canadian rock musician
 * Joel Pohjanpalo (born 1995), Finnish football player
 * Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779–1851), American physician, botanist and diplomat
 * Joel Porter (born 1978), Australian football player
 * Joel Primack (born 1945), American professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics
 * Joel Przybilla (born 1979), American basketball player
 * Joel Robles (born 1990), Spanish football player
 * Yoel Rodríguez (born 1988), Spanish footballer
 * Joel Quarrington (born 1955), Canadian bass player and soloist
 * Joel Quenneville (born 1958), Canadian former ice hockey defenceman, and coach of the NHL's Florida Panthers
 * Joel Reddy (born 1985), Australian Rugby League player
 * Joel Rifkin (born 1959), American serial killer
 * Joel Augustus Rogers (1880–1966), Jamaican-American author, journalist and historian
 * Yoel Romero (born 1977), Cuban wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter
 * Joel Rosenberg (1954–2011), Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author
 * Joel C. Rosenberg (born 1967), American author and communications strategist
 * Joel Ross, American tennis player
 * Joel Ross (vibraphonist), American jazz vibraphonist
 * Joel Roth, American rabbi in the Rabbinical Assembly
 * Joel Sacks (born 1989), Argentine footballer
 * Joel Salatin (born 1975), American farmer, lecturer, and author
 * Yoel Moshe Salomon (1838–1912), Ottoman newspaper publisher and co-founder of towns
 * Joel Santana (born 1948), Brazilian manager and former football player
 * Joel Schumacher (1939–2020) American director and producer
 * Joel Sclavi (born 1994), Argentine rugby union player
 * Joel Selwood (born 1988), Australian Rules footballer
 * Joel Shapiro (born 1941), American sculptor
 * Joel Shatzky (1943–2020), American writer and literary professor
 * Joel Shepherd (born 1974), Australian science fiction author
 * Joel Sherman (born 1962), American Scrabble expert
 * Joel ibn Shu'aib, 15th-century rabbi from Aragon
 * Joel Siegel (1943-2007), American film critic
 * Joel Silbersher (born 1971), musician from Australia
 * Joel Silver (born 1952), American film producer
 * Joel Sirkis (1561–1640), Central European rabbi
 * Joel Skinner (born 1961), American baseball player and coach
 * Joel Sonnenberg (born 1977), Christian motivational speaker
 * Joel Soriano (born 2000), American basketball player
 * Joel Elias Spingarn (1875–1939), American civil rights activist
 * Yoel Sela (born 1951), Israeli Olympic competitive sailor
 * Joel Spitzer (born 1957), American smoking cessation educator
 * Joel Spolsky (born 1965), American software engineer
 * Joel Stebbins (1878–1966), American astronomer who pioneered photoelectric photometry in astronomy
 * Joel Stein (born 1971), American journalist
 * Joel Steinberg (born 1941), New York criminal defense attorney
 * Joel Stelly (born 1984), American football player for the Chicago, IL Bears
 * Joel Sternfeld (born 1944), American photographer
 * Joel Stransky (born 1967), South African rugby union footballer
 * Joel Stroetzel (born 1980), American guitarist from the Massachusetts metalcore band Killswitch Engage
 * Joel Surnow (born 1955), American writer and producer
 * Joel Sweeney (1810–1860), American musician who popularized the banjo
 * Joel Teitelbaum (1887–1979), Hungarian Hasidic Rabbi and Talmudic scholar
 * Joel Thompson (politician) (1760–1843), United States Representative from New York
 * Joel Thompson (rugby league) (born 1988), Australian rugby league footballer
 * Joel Tobeck (born 1971), New Zealand film and television actor
 * Joel Tudor (born 1976), professional surfer from San Diego, California
 * Joel Turner (musician) (born 1987), Australian musician
 * Joel Veitch (born 1974), English web animator and member of the B3ta collective
 * Joel Vital (born 1987), Portuguese footballer known as Joel
 * Joël Veltman (born 1992), Dutch footballer
 * Joël Voordewind (born 1965), Dutch politician
 * Joel Ward (footballer) (born 1989), English footballer
 * Joel Ward (ice hockey) (born 1980), ice hockey player
 * Joel Ward (magician) (born 1983), magician
 * Joel N. Ward (born 1959), foreign currency trader
 * Joel Waterman (born 1996), Canadian soccer player
 * Joel Wiener (born 1948/49), American billionaire real estate developer and landlord
 * Joel Wilson (American football) (born 2000), American football player
 * Joel Wilson (rugby) (born 1977), Australian rugby player
 * Joel Wilson (umpire) (born 1966), Trinidadian cricket umpire
 * Joel Yanofsky (1955–2020), Canadian novelist and literary columnist
 * Joel Youngblood (born 1951), American Major League baseball player
 * Joel Zifkin (born 1954), Canadian musician and songwriter from Montreal, QC
 * Joel Zimmerman (born 1981), Canadian progressive house and electro house DJ better known as deadmau5
 * Joel Zumaya (born 1984), American Major League Baseball relief pitcher
 * Joel Zwick (born 1942), American director of movies, theatre, and television shows

Fictional characters

 * Joel Barish, protagonist of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, portrayed by Jim Carrey
 * Joel Fleischman M.D., central character of the TV series Northern Exposure
 * Joel Goodson, protagonist of the film Risky Business, portrayed by Tom Cruise
 * Joel Hammond, a main character in Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet
 * Joel Miller, protagonist of The Last of Us video game
 * Joel Robinson, in the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000