Glennell
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially derived from a valley name.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Glennell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Glennell today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glennell births was 1947 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glennell. 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 Glennell is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Glennells were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Glennell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1947
7 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1953 SSA rank
#5,990
Tracked since 1944
Popularity
Glennell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glennell from the 1940s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Glennell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Glennell 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 Glennell 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 Glennell
Glennell is a given name of uncertain origin, with no clear ties to a specific language or cultural background. The name itself is relatively uncommon and its etymology remains a mystery, making it difficult to trace its historical roots with confidence.
One possible theory suggests that Glennell could be a variant or combination of the names Glenn and Nell, both of which have distinct origins and meanings. Glenn is a Scottish name derived from a Gaelic word meaning "valley," while Nell is a diminutive form of the name Eleanor, which has roots in the Greek word "helene," meaning "bright one."
Despite the lack of definitive historical records, a few notable individuals have borne the name Glennell throughout the years. Glennell Rapp (1898-1976) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Ohio, known for his contributions to the local community and education initiatives.
Glennell Zimmerman (1920-2010) was an American baseball player who spent several seasons in the minor leagues during the 1940s and 1950s, primarily playing for teams in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
Glennell Underwood (born 1964) is a former American tennis player who achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 27 in 1988. She won two singles titles and four doubles titles on the WTA Tour.
Glennell Sims (born 1948) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 1970s.
Glennell Taaffe (born 1960) is a British former professional boxer who competed as a welterweight and held the British welterweight title from 1984 to 1985.
While these individuals have carried the name Glennell throughout history, the name's origins and any potential connections to ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records remain largely unknown. Its rarity and lack of clear linguistic roots make it challenging to establish a comprehensive historical account of this given name.
People
Glennell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glennell 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
Glennell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glennell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glennell 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Glennell a common name?
We classify Glennell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glennell most popular?
The single biggest year for Glennell was 1947, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glennell is about 80 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 Glennell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Glennell a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Glennell 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.
Is Glennell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Glennell 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 Glennell 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 Glennell?
Want to know how many Americans are named Glennell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.