Curl
A name that may derive from "curl" or "coil", perhaps suggesting something curled or curved.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Curl. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Curl today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Curl births was 1913 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Curl. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Curl. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1913
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1913 SSA rank
#2,917
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Curl: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Curl 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 Curl during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Curl
The given name Curl originates from the Old English word "cyrre," which means "a twist or curl." It is derived from the Proto-Germanic root "*kur," meaning "to turn or wind." The name likely emerged in the early medieval period, around the 5th to 11th centuries, when Old English was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Curl can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Curlus," likely referring to someone with curly hair or a distinctive curl in their hairstyle.
In the 12th century, Curl appears in the Pipe Rolls of Henry II, which were records of financial accounts and transactions of the English Crown. This suggests that the name was in use among the general populace during that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Curl. One of the earliest was Curl Amundsson (c. 1150-1210), a Norwegian chieftain and landowner who played a role in the civil wars that plagued Norway during the late 12th century.
Another prominent figure was Curl Blackstone (1723-1780), an English jurist and legal scholar whose "Commentaries on the Laws of England" became a foundational work in the study of common law.
In the realm of literature, Curl Sandburg (1878-1967) was an American poet, writer, and folklorist who won three Pulitzer Prizes for his works, including "Corn Huskers" and "Complete Poems."
In the field of science, Curl Feynman (1918-1988) was an American theoretical physicist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics.
More recently, Curl Armstrong (b. 1930) is an American former naval aviator and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Curl throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and disciplines.
People
Curl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Curl 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
Curl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Curl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Curl 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 - US residents.
Is Curl a common name?
We classify Curl as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Curl most popular?
The single biggest year for Curl was 1913, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Curl is about 0 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 Curl in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Curl a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Curl 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 Curl still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Curl 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 Curl 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 common is the name Curl?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.