Burchel
A diminutive form of the Germanic name Burghard, meaning "brave guardian".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Burchel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Burchel today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Burchel births was 1928 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Burchel. 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 Burchel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1928
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1928 SSA rank
#4,232
Tracked since 1928
Popularity
Burchel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Burchel 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 Burchel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Burchel
The name Burchel is believed to have originated from the Germanic languages, specifically from the Old High German word "buruc," meaning "hill" or "mound." It was likely a surname derived from a geographical feature or a place name before becoming a given name.
In the early medieval period, around the 6th to 8th centuries, the name Burchel or variations such as Burghel, Burgel, or Burghal were common among Germanic tribes in central and western Europe. These names were often associated with people living in or near fortified settlements or hilltop locations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burchel can be found in the Frankish Chronicles, a collection of historical records from the 6th to 9th centuries. It mentions a nobleman named Burchel who was a trusted advisor to the Merovingian King Clovis I in the late 5th century.
During the High Middle Ages, between the 11th and 13th centuries, the name Burchel gained popularity among the nobility and aristocracy in various parts of Europe, particularly in Germany, Switzerland, and the Low Countries.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Burchel von Braunschweig (1292-1344) was a German knight and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
Another historical figure with the name Burchel was Burchel de Villeneuve (1379-1437), a French cleric and diplomat who served as the Bishop of Bayeux and played a significant role in negotiating the Treaty of Arras in 1435, which helped end the civil war between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions in France.
In the 16th century, Burchel Eberhard (1512-1579) was a German humanist scholar and theologian who made significant contributions to the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and helped establish the University of Marburg.
During the 17th century, Burchel von Pappenheim (1594-1632) was a German Imperial field marshal who gained fame for his military exploits in the Thirty Years' War, serving under Albrecht von Wallenstein and the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II.
People
Burchel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Burchel 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
Burchel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Burchel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Burchel 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 - US residents.
Is Burchel a common name?
We classify Burchel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% 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 Burchel most popular?
The single biggest year for Burchel was 1928, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Burchel is about 0 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 Burchel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Burchel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Burchel 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 Burchel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Burchel 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 Burchel 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 Burchel?
See how many people share the name Burchel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.