Flavel
A name of uncertain origin but potentially derived from the Latin word "flava" meaning "golden-yellow".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Flavel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Flavel today is around 96 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Flavel births was 1913 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Flavel. 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 Flavel is about 96 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Flavels were born before 1940.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Flavel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1913
6 babies that year
Average age
96
years old
1944 SSA rank
#3,234
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Flavel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Flavel from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Flavel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Flavel 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 Flavel 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 Flavel
The name Flavel is of English origin, derived from the Latin word "flavus," meaning "yellow" or "golden." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or descriptive surname in the Middle Ages, referring to someone with yellow or golden hair.
In the early 13th century, the name Flavel appeared in various records and documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire, where a person named Flavel de Belcham was mentioned. This early use of the name suggests that it was already established as a personal name by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Flavel gained some prominence in England, particularly among Puritan families. One notable bearer of this name was John Flavel (c. 1627-1691), an English Presbyterian clergyman and prolific author of religious works, including "Navigation Spiritualized" and "The Fountain of Life."
Another significant figure with the name Flavel was Sir John Flavel (1601-1670), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the English Civil War. He served as a member of the Council of State and was a staunch supporter of Oliver Cromwell.
In the 18th century, Flavel Woodville (1718-1805) was a renowned English surgeon and obstetrician who made significant contributions to the field of midwifery. He published several influential works, including "An Essay on the Art of Invigorating and Prolonging Life."
The name Flavel also found its way into literary circles with Flavel Trent (1767-1810), an English poet and writer who authored several novels and plays, including "The Widow's Son" and "The Warrior's Heart."
While the name Flavel has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a unique and distinctive name with a rich historical background, particularly in England and among families with Puritan or Protestant roots.
People
Flavel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Flavel 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
Flavel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Flavel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Flavel 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Flavel a common name?
We classify Flavel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Flavel most popular?
The single biggest year for Flavel was 1913, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Flavel is about 96 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 Flavel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Flavel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Flavel 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 Flavel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Flavel 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 Flavel 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 named Flavel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.