Lynnell
A feminine name of English origin, a blend of Lynn and Nell.
Name Census estimates that about 445 living Americans carry the first name Lynnell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lynnell today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lynnell births was 1971 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lynnell. 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.
People living today
445
~ 1 in 770,234 Americans
Peak year
1971
28 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
2007 SSA rank
#19,363
Tracked since 1935
Census
Lynnell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 580 people with the first name Lynnell, which placed it at #18,544 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#18,544
National first-name rank
People counted
580
580 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
55.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lynnell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lynnell is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Lynnell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Lynnell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 323
- Black or African American34.8% · 202
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 16
- Two or more races2.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 12
Popularity
Lynnell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lynnell from the 1930s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 151 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lynnell 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 Lynnell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lynnells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lynnell
The name Lynnell is a feminine given name of English origin, derived from the combination of the Old English words "linn" meaning "lake" or "pool" and "ell" meaning "elder tree." It is believed to have first emerged during the Middle Ages, likely as a descriptive name given to a child born near a lake or a body of water surrounded by elder trees.
The earliest recorded use of the name Lynnell can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in medieval English records and chronicles. One of the first known individuals with this name was Lynnell de Huntingdon, a noblewoman mentioned in a 1268 charter from the county of Huntingdonshire.
In the 14th century, the name gained some popularity among the upper classes in England. Lynnell de Beaumont, born in 1312, was a notable figure from this era, known for her involvement in the establishment of a convent in Warwickshire.
During the Renaissance period, the name continued to be used, although it remained relatively uncommon. Lynnell Fortescue, born in 1548, was a prominent poet and writer from Devon, renowned for her works on natural philosophy and astronomy.
In the 17th century, the name Lynnell was associated with the Puritan movement in England. Lynnell Winthrop, born in 1628, was the daughter of John Winthrop, the founder and governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and played a significant role in the early history of the American colonies.
As the name spread across different regions and cultures, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Lynelle, Lynnel, and Lynell. One notable figure from the 19th century was Lynelle Mercer, born in 1842, a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in Canada.
Throughout its history, the name Lynnell has maintained a unique and distinctive quality, often associated with nature, elegance, and a strong sense of identity. While not as common as some other English names, it has been embraced by individuals across different eras and cultures, each adding their own unique chapter to the rich tapestry of this name's legacy.
People
Lynnell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lynnell 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
Lynnell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lynnell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 445 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lynnell 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 770,234 US residents.
Is Lynnell a common name?
We classify Lynnell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 584 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lynnell most popular?
The single biggest year for Lynnell was 1971, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lynnell is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lynnell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 580 people with the name Lynnell, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,544 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Lynnell in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lynnell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lynnell leans strongly female. 538 people counted with this name were female (93.1%), compared with 40 male bearers (6.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lynnell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lynnell is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Lynnell most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lynnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (323 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Lynnell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lynnell a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lynnell in the SSA data are female. 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 Lynnell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lynnell 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 Lynnell 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.
How many people have the name Lynnell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.