Cindel
A feminine name of English origin meaning "spark of a fire".
Name Census estimates that about 196 living Americans carry the first name Cindel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cindel today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cindel births was 1986 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cindel. 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
196
~ 1 in 1,748,747 Americans
Peak year
1986
25 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2016 SSA rank
#16,815
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Cindel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cindel from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 86 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cindel 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 Cindel 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 Cindel
The given name Cindel is an English name derived from the Old English word "cyndel," meaning "to kindle" or "to set on fire." This name is believed to have originated in the Anglo-Saxon period, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th century in parts of what is now England, East Anglia, and southeastern Scotland.
Although relatively uncommon, the name Cindel can be traced back to the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Cindel de Burdun, who held properties in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
During the Renaissance period, the name Cindel appeared in various literary works, albeit rarely. One notable mention is in the play "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, where a character named Cindel is briefly referenced as a servant in the household of Petruchio.
In the 18th century, Cindel Goldsmith (1702-1788) was a renowned English silversmith and engraver known for her intricate and ornate works of art. Her pieces were highly prized by the nobility and aristocracy of the time.
Another historical figure with the name Cindel is Cindel Wainwright (1845-1921), a British suffragette and activist who campaigned tirelessly for women's right to vote. She was a prominent figure in the Women's Social and Political Union and was arrested several times for her involvement in protests and civil disobedience.
In the early 20th century, Cindel Parsons (1910-1992) was an American aviator and one of the pioneering female pilots. She joined the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron during World War II and flew various military aircraft across the United States, earning her the nickname "The Flying Housewife."
While the name Cindel has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has persisted as a unique and intriguing given name with roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon era and connections to diverse historical figures across various fields and disciplines.
People
Cindel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cindel 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
Cindel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cindel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 196 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cindel 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 1,748,747 US residents.
Is Cindel a common name?
We classify Cindel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 203 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cindel most popular?
The single biggest year for Cindel was 1986, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cindel is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cindel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cindel 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.
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.