Ardelle
Feminine name derived from the French word "arde", meaning zeal or passion.
Name Census estimates that about 222 living Americans carry the first name Ardelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ardelle today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ardelle births was 1925 (71 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ardelle. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ardelle is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ardelles were born before 1955.
People living today
222
~ 1 in 1,543,938 Americans
Peak year
1925
71 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1981 SSA rank
#9,187
Tracked since 1897
Census
Ardelle in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 567 people with the first name Ardelle, which placed it at #18,871 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#18,871
National first-name rank
People counted
567
567 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ardelle
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ardelle is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ardelle described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ardelle at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 469
- Black or African American9.2% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 12
- Two or more races1.8% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 8
Popularity
Ardelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ardelle from the 1890s through to the 1980s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 539 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ardelle by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ardelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ardelles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Ardelle, while Washington, Massachusetts, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ardelle
The given name Ardelle is believed to have its origins in the French language. It is a feminine form derived from the Old French word "ardant," which means "ardent" or "burning." This root can be traced back to the Latin word "ardere," meaning "to burn."
The earliest recorded use of the name Ardelle dates back to the late 19th century in France. It gained popularity during the early 20th century, particularly in areas where French was commonly spoken, such as parts of Canada and Louisiana in the United States.
While the name Ardelle does not have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its connection to the concept of "burning" or "ardent" may have been influenced by various cultural and spiritual beliefs that revered fire as a symbol of passion, energy, and purification.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ardelle was Ardelle Holmes, an American actress born in 1899. She had a brief career in silent films during the 1920s.
Another notable figure was Ardelle Mestayer, a French-Canadian painter born in 1906. She was known for her vibrant and expressive use of color, reflecting the passionate nature of her name.
In the field of literature, Ardelle Silversmit was an American writer and journalist born in 1920. She authored several books and contributed to various publications, showcasing her ardent love for storytelling.
Ardelle Nora Duzee, born in 1922, was a Canadian artist and sculptor. Her works were characterized by their fiery and dynamic forms, capturing the essence of the name Ardelle.
Ardelle Faye Pomeroy, born in 1938, was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. She founded several successful businesses and was known for her ardent dedication to charitable causes.
It is important to note that while these examples provide historical context for the name Ardelle, the popularity and usage of names can vary greatly across different regions and time periods.
People
Ardelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ardelle as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ardelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ardelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 222 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ardelle going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,543,938 US residents.
Is Ardelle a common name?
We classify Ardelle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,500 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ardelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Ardelle was 1925, when 71 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ardelle is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ardelle in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 567 people with the name Ardelle, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,871 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ardelle in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ardelle?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ardelle leans strongly female. 544 people counted with this name were female (96.6%), compared with 19 male bearers (3.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ardelle?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ardelle is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ardelle most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ardelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (469 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ardelle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ardelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ardelle in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ardelle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ardelle in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ardelle can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Ardelle?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Ardelle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.