Bartel
A masculine Dutch diminutive form of Bartholomew (Hebrew): son of the furrow.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Bartel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bartel today is around 96 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bartel births was 1942 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bartel. 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 Bartel is about 96 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bartels were born before 1940.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bartel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1942
5 babies that year
Average age
96
years old
1942 SSA rank
#3,603
Tracked since 1942
Popularity
Bartel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bartel 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 Bartel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bartel
The name Bartel originates from the Germanic language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is a diminutive form of the name Bartholomew, which is derived from the Aramaic Bar-Tolmai, meaning "son of the furrows" or "son of the ploughman."
The name Bartel gained popularity during the medieval period in various parts of Europe, particularly in regions with Germanic cultural influences. It was often used as a short form of the longer name Bartholomew, which was commonly given in honor of the apostle Bartholomew mentioned in the New Testament.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bartel can be found in the 13th century. Bartel von Regenwalde, a German knight born around 1220, is mentioned in historical documents from that era. He played a significant role in the Prussian Crusades and the expansion of the Teutonic Order in the region.
In the 15th century, Bartel Beham (1502-1540) was a renowned German printmaker and painter from Nuremberg. He was known for his intricate and highly detailed woodcuts and engravings, which depicted religious scenes, portraits, and allegorical subjects.
Another notable figure with the name Bartel was Bartel Leene (1602-1673), a Dutch Golden Age painter. He was born in Antwerp and is known for his genre paintings and still lifes, which captured everyday scenes and objects with remarkable realism.
In the 18th century, Bartel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844) was a acclaimed Danish sculptor. He spent much of his career in Rome and is considered a prominent figure in the Neoclassical style. His works include numerous sculptures of mythological and historical figures, as well as monuments and reliefs.
Bartel Jonah Kuijken (1849-1904) was a Dutch painter and etcher from the late 19th century. He specialized in depicting landscapes and cityscapes, often capturing the atmospheric qualities of light and shadow with great skill.
While the name Bartel has its roots in Germanic culture and was prevalent in various parts of Europe, it has also been used in other regions over time, reflecting the influence of cultural exchanges and migration patterns.
People
Bartel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bartel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bartel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bartel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bartel 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Bartel a common name?
We classify Bartel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bartel most popular?
The single biggest year for Bartel was 1942, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bartel is about 96 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 Bartel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bartel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bartel in the SSA data are male. 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 Bartel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bartel 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 Bartel 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 share the name Bartel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.