Mashell
A unisex name of uncertain origin, potentially from the French word "marcelle".
Name Census estimates that about 266 living Americans carry the first name Mashell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mashell today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mashell births was 1965 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mashell. 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
266
~ 1 in 1,288,550 Americans
Peak year
1965
21 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1994 SSA rank
#14,884
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Mashell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mashell from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 144 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
Mashell 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 Mashell 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 Mashell
The name Mashell is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with its roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "mæsc," which meant "moss" or "swamp," and the suffix "-el," which was a diminutive form indicating smallness or endearment.
This suggests that the name Mashell may have initially been used to describe someone who lived near or was associated with a mossy or swampy area. The earliest recorded use of the name can be traced back to the late 9th century, where it appeared in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an annual record of events in Anglo-Saxon England.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Mashell was Mashell of Mercia, a noble and landowner who lived in the Kingdom of Mercia (now part of central England) during the 10th century. Records from that time indicate that he held significant landholdings and played a role in local governance.
Another notable figure was Mashell the Scribe, a monk and calligrapher who lived in the 11th century and was renowned for his exquisite handwriting and illuminated manuscripts produced in the scriptorium of a monastery in Wessex (now part of southern England).
In the 12th century, there was Mashell the Minstrel, a renowned traveling bard and entertainer who performed at the courts of various English nobles and is believed to have composed several lyrical ballads and epic poems, though few have survived to modern times.
During the 14th century, a woman named Mashell de Courtenay was a prominent figure in the court of King Edward III and served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Philippa of Hainault. Historical records suggest that she played an influential role in the royal household and was a trusted confidante of the Queen.
In the 16th century, Mashell Cavendish was a notable scholar and philosopher who studied at the University of Cambridge and wrote several treatises on topics ranging from natural philosophy to theology. His works were widely read and influential during the Renaissance period in England.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Mashell, which highlights its long and varied history within the English-speaking world.
People
Mashell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mashell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mashell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mashell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 266 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mashell 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 1,288,550 US residents.
Is Mashell a common name?
We classify Mashell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 309 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mashell most popular?
The single biggest year for Mashell was 1965, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mashell is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mashell a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mashell 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.
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.