Avanell
A feminine name likely derived from the French "Aveline", meaning "hazelnut tree".
Name Census estimates that about 81 living Americans carry the first name Avanell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Avanell today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Avanell births was 1921 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Avanell. 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 Avanell is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Avanells were born before 1962.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Avanell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
81
~ 1 in 4,231,535 Americans
Peak year
1921
32 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
2018 SSA rank
#16,013
Tracked since 1909
Census
Avanell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 219 people with the first name Avanell, which placed it at #36,320 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
#36,320
National first-name rank
People counted
219
219 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Avanell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Avanell is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Avanell 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 Avanell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 174
- Black or African American11.4% · 25
- Two or more races4.6% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Popularity
Avanell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Avanell from the 1900s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 263 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
Avanell 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 Avanell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Avanells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Kentucky, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Avanell, while Missouri, Arkansas, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Avanell
The name Avanell is a rare feminine given name of uncertain origin. It is believed to be an English name, potentially derived from the Old English word "avon," meaning river, and the French word "elle," meaning she. This would suggest the name could mean "she of the river" or "river maiden."
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Avanell dates back to the late 19th century. In 1893, Avanell Caraway was born in Arkansas, United States. She later became a renowned author, known for her novels and short stories depicting life in the American South.
Another notable figure with this name was Avanell Harris (1923-2017), an American actress and dancer. She appeared in several Broadway musicals and films throughout the mid-20th century, including the 1954 movie "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers."
In the realm of literature, Avanell Brockman (1924-2018) was an American writer and poet. Her works often explored themes of nature and the human experience. She published several collections of poetry throughout her career, including "The Bright Chord" in 1955.
Moving to the world of politics, Avanell Wray (1925-2018) was an American politician who served as a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1969 to 1979. She was known for her advocacy of environmental conservation and women's rights.
Lastly, Avanell Kirkland (1934-2015) was an American artist and sculptor. Her works were exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the United States, and she was recognized for her unique style and mastery of various mediums, including bronze and clay.
While the name Avanell has not been widely popular throughout history, these individuals have left their mark in various fields, from literature and the arts to politics and entertainment. The name's rarity adds to its distinctiveness and serves as a reminder of the rich tapestry of names and their origins.
People
Avanell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Avanell 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
Avanell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Avanell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 81 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Avanell 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 4,231,535 US residents.
Is Avanell a common name?
We classify Avanell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 654 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Avanell most popular?
The single biggest year for Avanell was 1921, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Avanell is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Avanell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 219 people with the name Avanell, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,320 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 Avanell 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 Avanell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Avanell appears almost entirely female. Of the 221 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Avanell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Avanell is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Avanell most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Avanell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (174 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 Avanell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Avanell a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Avanell 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 Avanell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Avanell 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 Avanell 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 many people are called Avanell?
Find out how many people share the name Avanell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.