Bertell
A masculine contracted form of Old German names meaning "bright warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Bertell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bertell today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bertell births was 1927 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bertell. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bertell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1927
6 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1986 SSA rank
#6,826
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Bertell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bertell from the 1920s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bertell 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 Bertell 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 Bertell
The name Bertell is a Germanic name with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "beraht," meaning "bright" or "brilliant," combined with the suffix "-ell," which was commonly used in medieval Germanic names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bertell can be found in the Codex Traditionum Fuldensium, a medieval manuscript from the Fulda Abbey in Germany. This document, dating back to the 8th century, mentions a nobleman named Bertell who donated land to the abbey.
In the 11th century, a Benedictine monk named Bertell von Konstanz lived in the monastery of Reichenau on Lake Constance in present-day Germany. He is known for his contributions to the field of music, particularly his compositions for the liturgical celebrations of the monastery.
During the Crusades, a knight named Bertell de Montfort fought alongside Richard the Lionheart in the Third Crusade (1189-1192). He is mentioned in various chronicles and accounts of the Crusades for his bravery and skill in battle.
In the 14th century, an Italian painter named Bertell di Giovanni lived in Siena, Italy. He is known for his frescoes in the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena, which depict scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.
Another notable figure with the name Bertell was Bertell Ollman, an American Marxist philosopher and social theorist born in 1935. He is best known for his work on dialectical materialism and his critique of capitalism.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Bertell. While the name may have originated in Germanic regions, it has been used across various cultures and time periods, reflecting its enduring appeal and historical significance.
People
Bertell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bertell 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
Bertell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bertell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bertell 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Bertell a common name?
We classify Bertell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bertell most popular?
The single biggest year for Bertell was 1927, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bertell is about 58 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 Bertell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bertell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bertell 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 Bertell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bertell 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 Bertell 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 the name Bertell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.