Means “lion of GOD” in Hebrew, from אֲרִי (‘ari) meaning “lion” and אֵל (‘el) meaning “God”. In the Old Testament it is used as another name for the city of Jerusalem. Shakespeare used it as the name of a spirit in his play The Tempest (1611), and one of the moons of Uranus bears this name in his honour.

 

As an English name, it became more common for females in the 1980s, especially after it was used for the title character in the Disney film The Little Mermaid (1989).