Durrel
An English variant of the French surname, derived from an Old French spelling of the town of Arles.
Name Census estimates that about 53 living Americans carry the first name Durrel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Durrel today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Durrel births was 1987 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Durrel. 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 Durrel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
53
~ 1 in 6,467,063 Americans
Peak year
1987
11 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
1999 SSA rank
#10,369
Tracked since 1977
Census
Durrel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 123 people with the first name Durrel, which placed it at #49,809 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
#49,809
National first-name rank
People counted
123
123 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
60.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Durrel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Durrel is Black at 60.2%. The next largest groups are White (33.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Durrel 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 Durrel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.2% · 74
- White33.3% · 41
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Popularity
Durrel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Durrel from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 40 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
Durrel 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 Durrel 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 Durrel
The name Durrel is believed to have originated from the French language, derived from the old French word "durelle," which means "little fortress" or "small stronghold." This name can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 12th century, when it was commonly used in certain regions of France.
During the Middle Ages, the name Durrel was associated with individuals who lived in or were connected to fortified settlements or castles. It was a name that carried a sense of strength and resilience, reflecting the defensive nature of these structures. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents and records from various regions of France during this time period.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Durrel was Durrel de Vienne, a French nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 12th century. He was known for his bravery and military exploits during the Crusades, leading troops in battles against the Saracens in the Holy Land.
Another prominent individual with the name Durrel was Durrel de Montfort, a French knight and crusader who lived in the 13th century. He participated in the Albigensian Crusade, a military campaign against the Cathars in southern France, and played a significant role in the capture of several fortified towns and castles.
In the 14th century, there was a renowned poet and philosopher named Durrel de Clermont, who wrote extensively on topics such as love, chivalry, and the virtues of knighthood. His work was highly regarded during his time and contributed to the literary and intellectual culture of the period.
Moving forward to the 16th century, Durrel de Bouillon was a French explorer and navigator who undertook several voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. He is credited with discovering and mapping various islands in the Caribbean Sea and is recognized as one of the early explorers of the New World.
Another notable figure was Durrel de Lavergne, a French military officer and engineer who lived in the 17th century. He was renowned for his expertise in fortification design and played a crucial role in strengthening the defensive structures of several cities and towns across France during times of conflict.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Durrel, each leaving their mark in different fields and contributing to the rich cultural heritage associated with this name. While the name may have evolved and taken on various spellings over time, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in France, where it was closely tied to the concepts of strength, resilience, and fortification.
People
Durrel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Durrel 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
Durrel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Durrel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 53 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Durrel 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 6,467,063 US residents.
Is Durrel a common name?
We classify Durrel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 55 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Durrel most popular?
The single biggest year for Durrel was 1987, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Durrel is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Durrel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 123 people with the name Durrel, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #49,809 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 Durrel 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 Durrel?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Durrel appears almost entirely male. Of the 120 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Durrel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Durrel is Black at 60.2%. The next largest groups are White (33.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Durrel most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Durrel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.2% (74 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 Durrel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Durrel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Durrel 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 Durrel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Durrel 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 Durrel 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 are named Durrel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.