Darvell
A diminutive form of an Old English name derived from "deor" meaning "beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 271 living Americans carry the first name Darvell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Darvell today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darvell births was 1987 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darvell. 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
271
~ 1 in 1,264,776 Americans
Peak year
1987
16 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2018 SSA rank
#12,592
Tracked since 1967
Census
Darvell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 224 people with the first name Darvell, which placed it at #35,741 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
#35,741
National first-name rank
People counted
224
224 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
85.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darvell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darvell is Black at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Darvell 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 Darvell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American85.7% · 192
- White6.3% · 14
- Two or more races4.9% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
Popularity
Darvell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darvell from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 91 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
Darvell 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 Darvell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darvells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Darvell
Darvell is a unique and intriguing given name with an elusive history, shrouded in mystery. Its origins are unclear, but it is believed to have emerged from the Celtic linguistic traditions that once flourished across the British Isles and parts of continental Europe. Some scholars speculate that the name may be derived from the Welsh word "derw," meaning "oak tree," symbolizing strength, resilience, and longevity.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Darvell can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared sporadically in various regions of Britain. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Darvell Gadbury, an English astrologer and mathematician born in 1627, who gained renown for his astrological almanacs and writings on celestial phenomena.
In the 18th century, Darvell Vaughan, a Welsh clergyman and author, made his mark with his literary works, particularly his commentary on the Book of Revelation. This association with religious scholarship may have contributed to the name's enduring presence within certain communities.
As the centuries progressed, the name Darvell remained relatively uncommon, but it continued to appear in various contexts. Darvell Tollerton, an English cricketer born in 1876, achieved distinction as a skilled batsman and played for several county teams during his career.
In more recent times, Darvell Brudnell, a British artist and sculptor born in 1925, gained recognition for his abstract works and his ability to capture the essence of movement in his sculptures. His innovative approach to art helped to cement the name Darvell within the annals of creative expression.
While the name Darvell may have maintained a relatively low profile throughout history, it has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on various fields, from astrology and religion to sports and the arts. Its enigmatic origins and unique sound have contributed to its enduring appeal, making it a distinctive choice for those seeking a name with a rich, albeit elusive, historical narrative.
People
Darvell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darvell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Darvell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darvell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 271 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darvell 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 1,264,776 US residents.
Is Darvell a common name?
We classify Darvell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 281 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darvell most popular?
The single biggest year for Darvell was 1987, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darvell 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 Darvell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 224 people with the name Darvell, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,741 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 Darvell 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 Darvell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Darvell leans strongly male. 222 people counted with this name were male (98.2%), compared with 4 female bearers (1.8%). 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 Darvell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darvell is Black at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Darvell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Darvell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (192 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 Darvell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Darvell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Darvell 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 Darvell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Darvell 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 Darvell 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 many people have the name Darvell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.