Kessel
A masculine Dutch name meaning "little kettle" or "cauldron".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Kessel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kessel today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kessel births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kessel. 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 Kessel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2017
5 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,318
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Kessel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kessel 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 Kessel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kessel
The given name Kessel has its origins in the Low German and Dutch languages, where it is derived from the word "ketel," meaning "cauldron" or "kettle." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have been initially associated with metalworking or cooking professions in the regions where these languages were spoken, such as the Netherlands, northern Germany, and parts of Belgium.
In the early Middle Ages, the name Kessel appeared in various historical records and documents from the Low Countries and the surrounding areas. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in a 9th-century charter from the Frankish Empire, where a person named Kessel is mentioned as a landowner in the region of present-day Netherlands.
The name gained prominence during the 12th and 13th centuries, as evidenced by its presence in various chronicles and annals from that period. Notable individuals bearing the name Kessel include Kessel van Leiden, a 13th-century Dutch scholar and philosopher who wrote extensively on logic and metaphysics.
During the Renaissance period, the name Kessel was associated with several renowned artists and intellectuals. Hieronymus Kessel, a 16th-century Flemish painter known for his religious works and portraits, was born in Antwerp in 1568 and died in Amsterdam in 1630.
In the 18th century, Johann Philipp Kessel, a German composer and organist, made significant contributions to the development of church music. He was born in Saxony in 1693 and passed away in 1767.
The 19th century saw the emergence of Johann Georg Kessel, a German historian and author born in 1784 in Darmstadt. His works focused on the history of the Holy Roman Empire and the Reformation, and he died in 1862.
Moving into the 20th century, one notable figure bearing the name Kessel was Joseph Kessel, a French novelist and journalist born in 1898 in Villa Clara, Argentina. He is best known for his 1928 novel "The Horsemen," which earned him international acclaim. Joseph Kessel passed away in 1979.
Throughout its history, the name Kessel has maintained a strong presence in various European cultures, particularly in the Low Countries and Germany. While its origins may be rooted in occupational associations, the name has transcended these beginnings and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
People
Kessel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kessel 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
Kessel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kessel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kessel 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 Kessel a common name?
We classify Kessel 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 Kessel most popular?
The single biggest year for Kessel was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kessel is about 9 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 Kessel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kessel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kessel 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 Kessel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kessel 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 Kessel 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 Americans are named Kessel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Kessel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.