Carvel
A masculine name derived from the Old French term for "meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 218 living Americans carry the first name Carvel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Carvel today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carvel births was 1929 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carvel. 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 Carvel is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Carvels were born before 1969.
People living today
218
~ 1 in 1,572,268 Americans
Peak year
1929
17 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
2004 SSA rank
#11,637
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Carvel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carvel from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 103 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carvel 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 Carvel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carvels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Carvel
The name Carvel is an English surname that originates from the Old French word "cavel," meaning a small piece of land or plot. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "cavillus," which translates to a small piece or portion. The name likely emerged as a surname during the Middle Ages in England, referring to individuals who owned or worked on small parcels of land.
The earliest recorded use of the name Carvel as a first name can be traced back to the 16th century in England. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Sir Carvel Cargill, a Scottish nobleman and diplomat who lived from 1537 to 1605. He served as an ambassador for King James VI of Scotland to several European courts.
Another notable bearer of the name Carvel was Captain Carvel Trelawny, a British naval officer who participated in several major battles during the 18th century. He was born in 1692 and died in 1748. Trelawny gained recognition for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702 and the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718.
In the literary world, the name Carvel appears in the novel "The Cloister and the Hearth" by Charles Reade, published in 1861. The protagonist, Gerard Eliassoen, takes on the alias of Carvel during his travels across Europe. This fictional character may have contributed to the popularity of the name in the 19th century.
Another individual of note was Carvel Collins, an American artist and illustrator who lived from 1892 to 1925. He was best known for his work in book illustrations and magazine covers, particularly for publications like Harper's Bazaar and Vogue.
In the realm of sports, Carvel Holway was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the early 20th century. He was born in 1888 and played for various teams, including the Toronto Blueshirts and the Montreal Wanderers, between 1908 and 1919.
While the name Carvel has been used as a first name throughout history, its usage has been relatively uncommon compared to more widespread names. However, it has maintained a unique and distinctive quality, often associated with its historical roots and literary references.
People
Carvel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carvel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Carvel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carvel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 218 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carvel 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 1,572,268 US residents.
Is Carvel a common name?
We classify Carvel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 520 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carvel most popular?
The single biggest year for Carvel was 1929, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carvel is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Carvel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carvel 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.
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.