'Ari'el is the Biblical Hebrew form of the name Ariel, meaning "lion of God" from the elements ʾari meaning "lion" and ʾel meaning "God". In the Old Testament, 'Ari'el is used as an alternative name for the city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 29:1-8), emphasizing the city's strength and divine protection. The name also appears apocryphally, related to a person or location in Ezra 8:16.The name's legacy extends beyond its biblical origins. Shakespeare adopted Ariel as a spirit in The Tempest (1611), and Alexander Pope used it for a sylph in The Rape of the Lock (1712). These literary uses contributed to its adoption as a given name in the English-speaking world. In the 20th century, Ariel became more common for females, particularly after Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989) featured the character as the mermaid princess. Modern usage reveals a balanced gender distribution, with the name ranking among the top 200 for U.S. girls in the 1990s but remaining less common for boys.Related forms include the Anglo-Hispanic Ariel, the Biblical Latin Arihel, and the Hebrew diminutive Arik. While 'Ari'el holds a strong biblical identity, its modern perception leans toward the literary and popular-culture associations inherited from Ariel.Meaning: "lion of God"Origin: Hebrew (Biblical)Type: Theophoric nameUsage: Hebrew Bible, modern English (ungender)