Burel
Derived from the Old French word "burel", meaning a coarse woolen cloth.
Name Census estimates that about 30 living Americans carry the first name Burel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Burel today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Burel births was 1914 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Burel. 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 Burel is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Burels were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Burel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
30
~ 1 in 11,425,145 Americans
Peak year
1914
12 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1957 SSA rank
#4,055
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Burel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Burel from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 80 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
Burel 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 Burel 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 Burel
The name Burel is believed to have originated from the Old French word "burel," which referred to a coarse woolen fabric typically used for making cloaks or robes worn by monks and other religious individuals. The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, in regions where Old French was spoken, such as modern-day France, Belgium, and parts of Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burel can be found in the 13th-century French epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose," where a character named Burel is mentioned. This literary reference suggests that the name was in use during that period, potentially as a surname or nickname derived from the occupation of producing or working with the burel fabric.
In the 14th century, a Flemish weaver named Burel Gheraerts was documented in historical records, indicating the name's association with the textile industry. Another notable figure from that era was Burellus de Treveris, a German theologian and scholar who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
During the Renaissance period, the name Burel gained some prominence in Italy. Burel Renaldo, an Italian painter and architect from the 15th century, was known for his frescoes and architectural designs in various churches and buildings in Rome and its surrounding areas.
In the 17th century, Burel Laxart, a French military officer and explorer, was among the first Europeans to explore parts of present-day Canada and the Great Lakes region. His expedition in the 1660s helped establish French settlements and trade routes in North America.
Another historical figure bearing the name Burel was Burel Houdini, a 19th-century French illusionist and magician who toured Europe and the United States with his exceptional sleight-of-hand performances and escapology acts.
It's worth noting that while the name Burel has historical roots and associations, its usage as a given name has been relatively uncommon in modern times, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, it may still be found in certain regions with cultural or linguistic ties to its French and European origins.
People
Burel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Burel 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
Burel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Burel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 30 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Burel 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 11,425,145 US residents.
Is Burel a common name?
We classify Burel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 183 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Burel most popular?
The single biggest year for Burel was 1914, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Burel is about 84 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 Burel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Burel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Burel 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 Burel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Burel 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 Burel 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 are named Burel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.