Charnell
A feminine name of French origins, etymologically feminine form of Charles.
Name Census estimates that about 598 living Americans carry the first name Charnell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charnell today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charnell births was 1992 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charnell. 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.
People living today
598
~ 1 in 573,168 Americans
Peak year
1992
36 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2006 SSA rank
#15,529
Tracked since 1941
Census
Charnell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 599 people with the first name Charnell, which placed it at #18,098 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#18,098
National first-name rank
People counted
599
599 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
71.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Charnell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Charnell is Black at 71.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Charnell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Charnell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.1% · 426
- White18.9% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.2% · 25
- Two or more races3.5% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 6
Popularity
Charnell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charnell from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 203 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charnell 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 Charnell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charnells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Charnell
The given name Charnell is believed to be a variation of the French name Charnelle, which is derived from the Latin word "carnalis," meaning "fleshly" or "carnal." This name likely originated in France during the Middle Ages, a time when many modern European names were developed.
While the name Charnell does not have any direct historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its Latin root "carnalis" was used in various contexts throughout history, often referring to physical or bodily desires and temptations. The name's association with the concept of "flesh" or "carnal" may have been influenced by religious or philosophical perspectives on the human condition.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Charnell are difficult to pinpoint precisely, as naming conventions and record-keeping practices varied greatly across regions and time periods. However, it is likely that the name emerged as a variant of Charnelle during the late Middle Ages or the Renaissance period in France, when the use of French-derived names became more widespread.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Charnell, although it has remained relatively uncommon compared to other names. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Charnell de Montfort (c. 1250-1310), a French noblewoman and heiress to the Lordship of Montfort-l'Amaury.
Another prominent figure with the name Charnell was Charnell de Vergy (c. 1370-1435), a French courtier and lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Burgundy during the late 14th and early 15th centuries.
In the 16th century, Charnell de Bourbon (1505-1572) was a French noblewoman and a member of the prestigious House of Bourbon, known for her involvement in the French Wars of Religion.
During the 17th century, Charnell de Montmorency (1620-1679) was a French aristocrat and writer who published several works on religion and philosophy.
More recently, Charnell Cowan (1880-1957) was an American educator and activist who advocated for civil rights and women's suffrage in the early 20th century.
It is worth noting that while these individuals shared the first name Charnell, the name's origins and historical usage have remained relatively obscure compared to many other European names. Nevertheless, the name's connection to the Latin word "carnalis" and its potential associations with philosophical or religious concepts related to the human condition add an intriguing layer of depth to its history and meaning.
People
Charnell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charnell 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
Charnell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charnell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 598 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charnell 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 573,168 US residents.
Is Charnell a common name?
We classify Charnell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 655 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charnell most popular?
The single biggest year for Charnell was 1992, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charnell is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Charnell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 599 people with the name Charnell, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,098 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Charnell in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Charnell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Charnell leans strongly female. 559 people counted with this name were female (92.9%), compared with 43 male bearers (7.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Charnell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Charnell is Black at 71.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Charnell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Charnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.1% (426 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Charnell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Charnell a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charnell in the SSA data are female. 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 Charnell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Charnell 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 Charnell 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.
How common is the name Charnell?
You can see how many people have the name Charnell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.