Kemel
An Anglicized form of the Turkish name Kemal, meaning perfection.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Kemel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kemel today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kemel births was 2005 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kemel. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kemel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2005
5 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,080
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Kemel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kemel 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 Kemel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kemel
The name Kemel is believed to have its origins in the ancient Turkic languages, specifically in the region of Central Asia. It is thought to be derived from the word "kemal," which means "perfection" or "excellence" in several Turkic tongues, including Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Uzbek.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kemel can be found in the works of the revered 11th-century Persian poet and scholar, Nasir Khusraw. In his writings, he refers to a person named Kemel, suggesting the name's usage during that time period in the region spanning modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of Central Asia.
The name Kemel gained further prominence in the Islamic world, particularly during the Ottoman Empire's reign. It is mentioned in several historical texts and records from that era, often associated with individuals of high social standing or scholarly achievements.
One notable figure bearing the name Kemel was Kemel Pasha, a prominent Ottoman statesman and military leader who lived from 1833 to 1913. He played a significant role in the modernization efforts of the Ottoman Empire and served as the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) from 1885 to 1891.
Another historical figure with the name Kemel was Kemel Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. Born in 1881 and died in 1938, Atatürk was a revolutionary leader who played a pivotal role in the establishment of modern Turkey and its transition from the Ottoman Empire to a secular, democratic nation-state.
In the realm of literature, one can find the name Kemel associated with Kemel Yashar, a renowned Uzbek writer and poet who lived from 1908 to 1968. His works, which explored themes of social justice and national identity, were highly influential in the literary circles of Soviet Central Asia.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the name Kemel was Kemel Kurspahić, a Bosnian journalist and author who was born in 1946. He gained international recognition for his courage and determination in keeping the newspaper Oslobođenje (Liberation) published during the Siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, amidst the Bosnian War.
While the name Kemel has its roots in the Turkic languages and cultures, it has also been adopted and used in various other parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Muslim populations or those influenced by the Ottoman Empire's historical presence.
People
Kemel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kemel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kemel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kemel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kemel 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Kemel a common name?
We classify Kemel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kemel most popular?
The single biggest year for Kemel was 2005, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kemel is about 20 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 Kemel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kemel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kemel 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 Kemel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kemel 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 Kemel 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 Kemel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.