Gennell
Of French origin, meaning "the little woman".
Name Census estimates that about 101 living Americans carry the first name Gennell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gennell today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gennell births was 1943 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gennell. 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 Gennell is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gennells were born before 1965.
People living today
101
~ 1 in 3,393,607 Americans
Peak year
1943
10 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1980 SSA rank
#10,898
Tracked since 1936
Popularity
Gennell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gennell from the 1930s through to the 1980s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 66 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gennell 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 Gennell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gennells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gennell
The name Gennell is believed to have originated from the Old French language, derived from the Latin name "Gennellus" or "Genellus." These Latin names were themselves derived from the ancient Roman family name "Gennius" or "Genius."
The earliest known usage of the name Gennell dates back to the late medieval period in France, where it was primarily used as a masculine name. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Gennel" or "Genelle."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Gennell was a French nobleman named Gennell de Montfort, who lived in the 13th century. He was a minor lord in the region of Normandy and is mentioned in several historical chronicles from that period.
In the 15th century, there was a French Catholic priest named Gennell Dubois (1412-1487), who was known for his writings on theology and his contributions to the religious reforms of that era.
During the Renaissance period, the name Gennell gained some popularity in Italy and other parts of Europe. One notable figure was the Italian artist Gennell Cennini (1437-1508), who was a painter and author of a influential treatise on art techniques.
In the 17th century, a French mathematician and astronomer named Gennell Picard (1620-1682) made significant contributions to the field of geodesy and the measurement of the earth's circumference.
Another historical figure with the name Gennell was the English writer and philosopher Gennell Traherne (1636-1674), who is known for his spiritual and metaphysical works, particularly his book "Centuries of Meditations."
While the name Gennell has been relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been used sporadically across various cultures and time periods. However, it remains a unique and intriguing name with a rich linguistic and historical background.
People
Gennell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gennell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gennell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gennell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 101 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gennell 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 3,393,607 US residents.
Is Gennell a common name?
We classify Gennell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 179 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gennell most popular?
The single biggest year for Gennell was 1943, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gennell is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gennell a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gennell in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.