Fernell
A variant of the given name Fernand, of Germanic origin meaning "brave traveler".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Fernell. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 54.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Fernell today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fernell births was 1971 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fernell. 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 Fernell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1971
6 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1971 SSA rank
#4,584
Tracked since 1930
Census
Fernell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 99 people with the first name Fernell, which placed it at #53,419 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
#53,419
National first-name rank
People counted
99
99 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
76.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fernell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fernell is Black at 76.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Fernell 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 Fernell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American76.8% · 76
- White11.1% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Fernell
Fernell is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 11 total registrations, 6 (54.5%) were male and 5 (45.5%) were female.
Fernell as a male name
- Ranked #4,584 in 1971
- 6 male births in 1971
- Peak: 1971 (6 births)
Fernell as a female name
- Ranked #4,785 in 1930
- 5 female births in 1930
- Peak: 1930 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Fernell on both sides of the split. Of the 99 people counted with this name, 67 were male (67.7%) and 32 were female (32.3%).
Popularity
Fernell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fernell from the 1930s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fernell 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 Fernell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fernells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fernell
The name Fernell is believed to have its origins in the Gaulish language spoken in ancient France and parts of the Roman Empire. It is thought to be derived from the Proto-Celtic word "ferno," meaning "alder tree." The alder tree held significant cultural and symbolic importance in ancient Celtic societies, often associated with strength, resilience, and protection.
The earliest known reference to the name Fernell can be traced back to the 5th century CE, when it appeared in the writings of a Gaulish scholar describing the local flora and fauna. This early mention suggests that the name may have been used as a personal identifier or a descriptive term for those who lived near alder tree groves.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Fernell maintained a modest presence in various regions of what is now modern-day France and parts of the Low Countries. Historical records from this period include a few notable individuals bearing the name, such as Fernell de Bois (1220-1289), a respected cleric and scholar from the Champagne region.
In the 16th century, the name gained some prominence with the birth of Fernell de Verdun (1493-1557), a renowned French physician and anatomist. De Verdun made significant contributions to the field of medicine and is considered one of the founders of modern embryology.
Another notable figure with the name Fernell was Fernell de Montmorency (1628-1695), a French nobleman and military commander who served under King Louis XIV. He was highly decorated for his bravery and leadership during the Franco-Dutch War and the Nine Years' War.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Fernell appeared in the artistic circles of Paris with the painter Fernell Delacroix (1758-1838). Delacroix was renowned for his vibrant landscapes and portraiture, often depicting scenes from the French countryside and rural life.
Finally, in the 19th century, the name gained recognition through the work of Fernell Durand (1822-1891), a pioneering French architect and urban planner. Durand played a crucial role in the reconstruction and modernization of Paris during the Second Empire, designing several iconic buildings and public spaces that still stand today.
While the name Fernell has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, its connection to the ancient Celtic world and the symbolic significance of the alder tree have contributed to its enduring legacy and cultural resonance, particularly in France and surrounding regions.
People
Fernell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fernell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fernell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fernell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fernell 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Fernell a common name?
We classify Fernell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fernell most popular?
The single biggest year for Fernell was 1971, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fernell is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Fernell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 99 people with the name Fernell, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,419 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 Fernell 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 Fernell?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Fernell on both sides of the split. Of the 99 people counted with this name, 67 were male (67.7%) and 32 were female (32.3%). 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 Fernell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fernell is Black at 76.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.1%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Fernell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Fernell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (76 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 Fernell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fernell a male name?
Yes, 54.5% of people registered as Fernell 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 Fernell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fernell 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 Fernell 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 Fernell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.