Doyel
A Hebrew name meaning "one who worships the Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Doyel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Doyel today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Doyel births was 1925 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Doyel. 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
- • The typical person named Doyel is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Doyels were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Doyel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1925
8 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1947 SSA rank
#2,930
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Doyel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Doyel from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 36 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1930s peak, Doyel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Doyel 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 Doyel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Doyels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Doyel
The name Doyel is believed to have originated from the Old English language, specifically from the Anglo-Saxon period, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "doel," which means "foolish" or "stupid." The name was likely initially used as a nickname or a descriptive term for someone who was perceived as foolish or lacking in intelligence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Doyel can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Doiel" in this historical record, suggesting that it was already in use during the late 11th century in England.
In medieval times, the name Doyel was relatively uncommon but still occasionally appeared in historical records and documents. One notable individual bearing this name was Doyel de Montfort, a English knight who fought in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under King Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart.
During the Renaissance period, which spanned from the 14th to the 17th century, the name Doyel continued to be used, albeit infrequently. One person of note was Doyel Baskerville, an English poet and playwright who lived in the 16th century and is known for his satirical works criticizing the aristocracy.
In the 18th century, the name Doyel gained some popularity among certain social classes in England. A prominent figure was Doyel Walsingham (1720-1798), a British politician and member of parliament who played a significant role in the debates surrounding the American Revolution.
Another notable individual with the name Doyel was Doyel Weatherby (1845-1922), a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in Africa and contributed to the study of its flora and fauna. His expeditions and discoveries were widely documented in various scientific journals and publications of the time.
While the name Doyel has never been extremely widespread, it has persisted throughout history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, ranging from knights and poets to politicians and explorers. Despite its somewhat unusual and antiquated origins, the name continues to be used, albeit rarely, in certain parts of the English-speaking world.
People
Doyel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Doyel 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
Doyel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Doyel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Doyel 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 19,041,908 US residents.
Is Doyel a common name?
We classify Doyel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 38.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 93 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Doyel most popular?
The single biggest year for Doyel was 1925, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Doyel is about 85 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 Doyel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Doyel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Doyel 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 Doyel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Doyel 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 Doyel 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 many people share the name Doyel?
Want to know how many people have the name Doyel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.