Hassell
A masculine name of English origin meaning "hazel grove" or "light brown".
Name Census estimates that about 89 living Americans carry the first name Hassell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hassell today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hassell births was 1918 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hassell. 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 Hassell is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hassells were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hassell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
89
~ 1 in 3,851,172 Americans
Peak year
1918
16 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1974 SSA rank
#5,519
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Hassell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hassell from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 88 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
Hassell 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 Hassell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hassells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hassell
The name Hassell is derived from the Old English word "hæsel," which means "hazel tree" or "hazelwood." This name has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon culture and can be traced back to the early medieval period in England and parts of northern Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hassell can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Hæsellus," referring to a landowner or tenant in the county of Suffolk.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Hassell de Insula was recorded as a prominent landowner and knight in the county of Wiltshire, England. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the reign of King Henry III (1216-1272).
During the Renaissance period, a Dutch painter named Hassell van Hutten (1516-1579) gained recognition for his religious and allegorical works. He was born in Naarden, Netherlands, and his paintings can be found in various churches and museums across Europe.
In the 17th century, a German philosopher and theologian named Hassell von Werder (1612-1675) made significant contributions to the field of natural philosophy and metaphysics. He was born in Augsburg and served as a professor at the University of Jena.
Another notable individual with the name Hassell was Sir John Hassell (1768-1825), an English lawyer and writer who authored several books on topography and antiquities. He was born in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and played a role in the preservation of historical landmarks and artifacts in England.
People
Hassell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hassell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hassell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hassell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 89 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hassell 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 3,851,172 US residents.
Is Hassell a common name?
We classify Hassell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 321 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hassell most popular?
The single biggest year for Hassell was 1918, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hassell is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hassell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hassell 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.
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.