Kerrell
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cearúill, meaning "descendant of Cearúill".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Kerrell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kerrell today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kerrell births was 1995 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kerrell. 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 Kerrell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1995
5 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
1995 SSA rank
#9,637
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Kerrell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kerrell 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 Kerrell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kerrell
The name Kerrell is a relatively obscure and uncommon given name with origins that are not entirely clear. It is believed to have emerged from various Germanic languages, potentially derived from the Old English words "cær" meaning "care" and "rell" meaning "counsel" or "advice." This suggests that the name may have originally carried meanings related to being a caring advisor or a thoughtful counselor.
While the name's exact roots are uncertain, some records indicate that variations of the spelling, such as "Kerrel" or "Kerrill," appeared in medieval English texts and documents from as early as the 11th century. However, these early mentions were rare, and the name never gained widespread popularity during that era.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kerrell was a minor English landowner named Kerrell of Wycliffe, who lived in the late 13th century. Records from that time show him as a witness to several property transactions in the county of Yorkshire.
In the 15th century, a French nobleman named Kerrell de Montfort is mentioned in chronicles as a participant in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He fought alongside the English forces and was reportedly present at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian scholar and philosopher named Kerrell Vespucci, born in 1492, gained some renown for his writings on metaphysics and natural philosophy. He was a contemporary of the famous explorer Amerigo Vespucci, though their exact relationship is unclear.
In the 17th century, a Dutch painter named Kerrell van Rijn, born in 1620, produced several notable works that are now part of various European art collections. He was known for his landscape paintings and scenes depicting everyday life in the Netherlands.
Another individual named Kerrell Blackwood, born in 1755, was a Scottish inventor and engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early steam engines during the Industrial Revolution. His work helped pave the way for the widespread use of steam power in factories and transportation.
Despite these scattered historical examples, the name Kerrell has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, with few individuals of significant note carrying this given name. Its origins and meanings remain somewhat obscure, adding an air of mystery and intrigue to this unique moniker.
People
Kerrell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kerrell 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
Kerrell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kerrell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kerrell 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Kerrell a common name?
We classify Kerrell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kerrell most popular?
The single biggest year for Kerrell was 1995, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kerrell is about 30 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 Kerrell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kerrell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kerrell 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 Kerrell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kerrell 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 Kerrell 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 Kerrell?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Kerrell at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.