Joell
A masculine French name meaning "God is willing".
Name Census estimates that about 2,046 living Americans carry the first name Joell. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 53.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Joell today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Joell births was 1966 (120 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Joell. 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
- • Joell was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
- • Joell sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
People living today
2.0K
~ 1 in 167,524 Americans
Peak year
1966
120 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,950
Tracked since 1939
Gender
Gender distribution for Joell
Joell is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 2,214 total registrations, 1,185 (53.5%) were male and 1,029 (46.5%) were female.
Joell as a male name
- Ranked #4,950 in 2024
- 20 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (77 births)
Joell as a female name
- Ranked #18,079 in 2012
- 5 female births in 2012
- Peak: 1966 (120 births)
Popularity
Joell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Joell from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 524 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Joell 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 Joell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Joells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. California, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Joell, while Texas, Oregon, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Joell
The name Joell is believed to have originated from the Hebrew language and culture, with roots tracing back to ancient times. It is a variant spelling of the biblical name Joel, which is derived from the Hebrew word "Yovel," meaning "Yahweh is God."
In the Old Testament, the Book of Joel is attributed to the prophet Joel, whose name carries the meaning "Yahweh is God." This association with the Hebrew prophet suggests that the name Joell has religious and spiritual connotations within the Judeo-Christian tradition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Joell can be found in historical records from the Middle Ages. Joell de Mayence, a French rabbi and scholar, lived during the 13th century and was renowned for his contributions to Jewish law and philosophy.
Another notable figure bearing the name Joell was Joell Blanck, a 17th-century German composer and organist. He was born in 1650 and is remembered for his compositions for the organ and his work as a church musician in various German cities.
In the 19th century, Joell Joseph Ganthony (1789-1866) was a French architect and urban planner. He is best known for his work on the restoration and renovation of historic buildings in Paris, including the Louvre and the Palais de Justice.
Joell Robuchon (1945-2018) was a renowned French chef and restaurateur, widely regarded as one of the most influential chefs of the 20th century. He was awarded numerous Michelin stars throughout his career and was known for his innovative approach to traditional French cuisine.
Joell Frédéric Perrault (1768-1844) was a French playwright and librettist who wrote several operas and plays during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His works were performed in Paris and other major European cities, contributing to the cultural landscape of his time.
Despite its relatively uncommon usage, the name Joell has a rich history and cultural significance, with roots tracing back to ancient Hebrew traditions and a presence throughout various periods in history, spanning religious, artistic, and literary domains.
People
Joell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Joell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Joell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Joell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,046 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Joell 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 167,524 US residents.
Is Joell a common name?
We classify Joell as "Rare". It ranks above 93.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,214 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Joell most popular?
The single biggest year for Joell was 1966, when 120 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Joell is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Joell a male name?
Yes, 53.5% of people registered as Joell 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.