Cordell
A masculine name derived from a French surname meaning "small valley".
Name Census estimates that about 9,329 living Americans carry the first name Cordell. It is a predominantly male name (98.6% of registrations). The average person named Cordell today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cordell births was 1998 (387 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cordell. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Cordell with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Cordell is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 148 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
9.3K
~ 1 in 36,741 Americans
Peak year
1998
387 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,132
Tracked since 1903
Census
Cordell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,478 people with the first name Cordell, which placed it at #2,995 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
#2,995
National first-name rank
People counted
7.5K
7,478 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
50.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cordell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cordell is Black at 50.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.7%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Cordell 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 Cordell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.7% · 3,794
- White35.7% · 2,673
- Two or more races6.0% · 448
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 268
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 257
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
Gender
Gender distribution for Cordell
Cordell leans heavily male at 98.6% of total registrations, but 148 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Cordell as a male name
- Ranked #2,132 in 2024
- 69 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (387 births)
Cordell as a female name
- Ranked #12,201 in 1988
- 5 female births in 1988
- Peak: 1922 (14 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cordell leans strongly male. 7,353 people counted with this name were male (98.3%), compared with 129 female bearers (1.7%).
Popularity
Cordell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cordell from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 2,423 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
Cordell 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 Cordell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cordells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Illinois, Texas, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Cordell, while Nebraska, Massachusetts, South Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 145 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cordell
The name Cordell is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "cordel," meaning a small cord or string. It first appeared in the Middle Ages, particularly in the 13th and 14th centuries, when it was used as a surname for individuals involved in the trade of making ropes or cords.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Cordell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a surname, "Cordel." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded landholdings in England after the Norman conquest.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Cordell was primarily associated with tradespeople and craftsmen involved in the rope and cord-making industry. However, as time passed, it transitioned from being a surname to a given name, often bestowed upon male children.
One of the notable historical figures bearing the name Cordell was Cordell Hull (1871-1955), an American politician and statesman who served as the 47th United States Secretary of State from 1933 to 1944. He played a crucial role in shaping American foreign policy during the critical years surrounding World War II and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 for his efforts in establishing the United Nations.
Another prominent individual named Cordell was Cordell Wynn (1828-1905), an American businessman and politician who served as the 16th Governor of Indiana from 1853 to 1857. He played a significant role in the development of infrastructure and transportation in the state during his tenure.
In the literary world, Cordell Pearson (1907-1984) was an American writer and journalist known for his novels and short stories, including "The Golden Apples" and "The Last Harvest." His works often explored themes of rural life and the changing societal landscape in the American South.
Another notable figure was Cordell Reagon (1943-2017), an American singer, activist, and member of the renowned a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. She was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and used her music as a platform for social and political change.
Cordell Vollrath (1915-1994) was an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Vollrath Company, a manufacturer of high-quality cookware and equipment for the foodservice industry. He was also known for his philanthropic efforts, supporting various educational and cultural institutions in his home state of Wisconsin.
These examples showcase the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals named Cordell throughout history, ranging from politicians and diplomats to writers, activists, and businessmen.
People
Cordell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cordell 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
Cordell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cordell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,329 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cordell 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 36,741 US residents.
Is Cordell a common name?
We classify Cordell as "Rare". It ranks above 97.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10,908 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cordell most popular?
The single biggest year for Cordell was 1998, when 387 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cordell is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cordell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,478 people with the name Cordell, or 2.48 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,995 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 Cordell 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 Cordell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cordell leans strongly male. 7,353 people counted with this name were male (98.3%), compared with 129 female bearers (1.7%). 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 Cordell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cordell is Black at 50.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.7%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Cordell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Cordell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.7% (3,794 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 Cordell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cordell a male name?
Yes, 98.6% of people registered as Cordell 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 Cordell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cordell 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 Cordell 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 Cordell?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Cordell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.