Luel
Biblical Hebrew name meaning "peace" or "tranquil".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Luel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Luel today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Luel births was 1927 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Luel. 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 Luel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1927
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,563
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Luel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Luel from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Luel 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 Luel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Luel
The name Luel is of ancient Aramaic origin, tracing its roots back to the Semitic languages spoken in the Middle East during the 1st millennium BC. It is believed to have derived from the Aramaic word "luel," which means "light" or "illumination."
In the ancient Aramaic culture, names often carried symbolic meanings and were chosen to reflect the hopes and aspirations of the parents for their child. The name Luel may have been given to a child with the intention of wishing them to be a source of light and guidance in their life's journey.
While there are no definitive historical records of the name appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its Aramaic roots suggest that it may have been used among the Aramaic-speaking communities in regions such as Syria, Iraq, and parts of the Levant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Luel can be found in the writings of the 9th-century Arab scholar Al-Jahiz, who mentioned a person by the name of Luel ibn Abi Salih, a renowned poet and scholar from Basra, Iraq, who lived during the 8th century AD.
Another notable figure bearing the name Luel was Luel al-Kindi, a 9th-century Arab philosopher and mathematician from Kufa, Iraq. He made significant contributions to the fields of optics and metaphysics and is considered one of the earliest Arab philosophers to have engaged with Greek philosophical thought.
In the 12th century, there was a Sufi mystic and poet named Luel al-Din al-Attar, who hailed from Nishapur, Persia (present-day Iran). His poetic works, infused with spiritual wisdom, are still studied and revered by Sufi practitioners today.
During the 16th century, Luel al-Amir was a prominent Ottoman statesman and Grand Vizier, serving under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He played a crucial role in the expansion and administration of the Ottoman Empire during its golden age.
Lastly, Luel al-Kabir was a renowned 18th-century Islamic scholar and jurist from Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He authored several influential works on Islamic jurisprudence and theology, which are still referenced by Islamic scholars today.
These historical figures, spanning different eras and regions, exemplify the enduring presence of the name Luel throughout various cultures and traditions, reflecting its ancient Aramaic origins and the diverse individuals who have carried this name over the centuries.
People
Luel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Luel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Luel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Luel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Luel 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 Luel a common name?
We classify Luel 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, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Luel most popular?
The single biggest year for Luel was 1927, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Luel is about 8 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 Luel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Luel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Luel 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 Luel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Luel 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 Luel 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 called Luel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.