Earsel
An invented name that appears to be a variation of the name Earl.
Name Census estimates that about 26 living Americans carry the first name Earsel. It is a predominantly male name (91.8% of registrations). The average person named Earsel today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Earsel births was 1917 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Earsel. 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 Earsel is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Earsels were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Earsel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
26
~ 1 in 13,182,859 Americans
Peak year
1917
15 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1951 SSA rank
#3,865
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Earsel
Earsel leans heavily male at 91.8% of total registrations, but 13 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Earsel as a male name
- Ranked #3,865 in 1951
- 5 male births in 1951
- Peak: 1927 (9 births)
Earsel as a female name
- Ranked #4,618 in 1924
- 6 female births in 1924
- Peak: 1917 (7 births)
Popularity
Earsel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Earsel from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 64 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Earsel 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 Earsel 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 Earsel
The given name Earsel is an obscure one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It is believed to have originated from the ancient Germanic language during the early Middle Ages, perhaps around the 6th or 7th century CE. Some scholars suggest that it may have been derived from the Old High German word "ersal," which means "noble" or "esteemed."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Earsel can be found in the Frankish chronicles of the 8th century, where it is mentioned as the name of a minor noble from the region of present-day France. However, the context and details surrounding this individual are scarce.
Throughout history, the name Earsel has been relatively uncommon, with only a handful of notable individuals bearing it. One such person was Earsel the Scribe, a monk who lived in the 10th century and was renowned for his intricate calligraphy and illuminated manuscripts. He is believed to have worked in a monastery in what is now northern Germany.
Another historical figure with the name Earsel was a minor English nobleman who lived during the 12th century. Records indicate that he was a landowner in the county of Gloucestershire, but little else is known about his life or accomplishments.
In the 15th century, there was an Italian painter named Earsel da Vinci, who was a distant relative of the renowned Leonardo da Vinci. While not as famous as his illustrious kinsman, Earsel da Vinci was respected for his religious paintings and frescoes, which adorned several churches in the region of Tuscany.
Lastly, in the 17th century, there was an Earsel von Münchhausen, a German nobleman and military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War. He is said to have been the inspiration for the literary character Baron Münchhausen, known for his fantastical and exaggerated tales of adventure.
Despite its rarity, the name Earsel has managed to persist through the ages, albeit in a rather obscure and sporadic manner. Its origins and meaning remain shrouded in mystery, leaving much room for speculation and interpretation by scholars and historians alike.
People
Earsel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Earsel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Earsel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Earsel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 26 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Earsel 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 13,182,859 US residents.
Is Earsel a common name?
We classify Earsel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 158 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Earsel most popular?
The single biggest year for Earsel was 1917, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Earsel is about 86 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 Earsel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Earsel a male name?
Yes, 91.8% of people registered as Earsel 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 Earsel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Earsel 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 Earsel 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 are called Earsel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.