Avenell
A feminine name derived from the French place name Avesnelles.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Avenell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Avenell today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Avenell births was 1925 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Avenell. 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 Avenell is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Avenells were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Avenell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1925
10 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1942 SSA rank
#4,669
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Avenell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Avenell from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 76 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
Avenell 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 Avenell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Avenell
The given name Avenell is a relatively rare name of English origin. Its roots can be traced back to a Norman-French surname that was derived from the Old French words "aveine" meaning "oats" and "el" meaning "the." The combined meaning suggests a connection to oatfields or oatlands.
In the Middle Ages, surnames often originated from descriptive phrases related to a person's occupation, location, or physical characteristics. The name Avenell likely referred to someone who lived near oatfields or was involved in the cultivation or trade of oats.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Avenell date back to the 12th and 13th centuries in medieval England. It was initially used as a surname, but over time, it also gained usage as a given name, particularly in the southern regions of England.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Avenell was Sir Avenell de Biset, a Norman knight who lived in the late 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Richard I and accompanied the monarch on the Third Crusade.
Another notable figure was Avenell of Oatlands, a 13th-century landowner and knight from Surrey, England. His name was directly associated with the manor of Oatlands, which was located near the River Thames.
In the 15th century, Avenell Blount, a member of the influential Blount family, served as a member of the English Parliament and held various positions of authority during the reigns of Henry VI and Edward IV.
During the Tudor period, Avenell Hanshaw, born in 1510, was a renowned scholar and theologian who authored several religious texts and served as a rector in the Church of England.
In the 17th century, Avenell Browne (1625-1692) was an English philosopher and writer who contributed to the fields of metaphysics and ethics. His works explored the nature of reality and the human condition.
While the name Avenell has roots in medieval England, its usage has become increasingly uncommon in modern times. However, its unique history and connection to ancient agricultural practices make it a fascinating name to explore.
People
Avenell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Avenell 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
Avenell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Avenell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Avenell 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Avenell a common name?
We classify Avenell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 137 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Avenell most popular?
The single biggest year for Avenell was 1925, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Avenell is about 90 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Avenell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Avenell a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Avenell 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 Avenell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Avenell 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 Avenell 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Avenell as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Avenell, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.