Monell
A recently coined masculine name derived from the word "money".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Monell. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Monell today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Monell births was 1921 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Monell. 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
- • The typical person named Monell is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Monells were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Monell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1921
7 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1929 SSA rank
#4,363
Tracked since 1921
Gender
Gender distribution for Monell
Monell is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 23 total registrations, 5 (21.7%) were male and 18 (78.3%) were female.
Monell as a male name
- Ranked #4,363 in 1929
- 5 male births in 1929
- Peak: 1929 (5 births)
Monell as a female name
- Ranked #4,400 in 1930
- 6 female births in 1930
- Peak: 1921 (7 births)
Popularity
Monell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Monell from the 1920s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 17 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Monell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Monell 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 Monell 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 Monell
The name Monell has its linguistic roots in the ancient Gaulish language, which was spoken by the Celtic tribes inhabiting what is now modern-day France, Belgium, and parts of Switzerland during the Iron Age and Roman period, from around the 5th century BC to the 6th century AD. The name is believed to be derived from the Gaulish words "mon," meaning "hill" or "mountain," and "ell," meaning "rock" or "stone," suggesting a connection to the rugged and mountainous terrain of the region.
While the precise origin and meaning of the name Monell are shrouded in the mists of antiquity, its first recorded use can be traced back to the 2nd century AD, where it appears in a Roman inscription found in the city of Nîmes, located in southern France. This inscription commemorates a Gaulish warrior named Monellus, who was likely a member of the local Gallic tribe known as the Volcae Arecomici.
Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the name Monell remained relatively obscure, with few notable individuals bearing this moniker. However, in the 17th century, a French philosopher and mathematician named Monell Descartes (1596-1650) gained prominence for his pioneering work in the fields of metaphysics, mathematics, and natural philosophy. His seminal work, "Discourse on the Method," published in 1637, laid the foundations for modern philosophical thought and the scientific method.
Another notable figure bearing the name Monell was the Italian composer and violinist Monell Corelli (1653-1713), who was renowned for his contributions to the development of the concerto grosso form and his influential violin sonatas. His works were widely admired and studied by subsequent generations of composers and musicians throughout Europe.
In the 19th century, the name Monell gained some prominence in the United States, with the birth of Monell Sayre (1824-1896), a prominent lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania. Sayre served as the United States Assistant Secretary of War during the American Civil War and later became a judge on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
More recently, the name Monell has been associated with the American lawyer and legal scholar Monell Karlen (1924-2015), who was best known for his work on the landmark Supreme Court case Monell v. Department of Social Services (1978), which established the principle of municipal liability for civil rights violations committed by government employees.
While the name Monell may not be among the most common or popular given names today, its rich historical legacy and connections to influential figures across various fields serve as a testament to its enduring significance and cultural heritage.
People
Monell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Monell 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
Monell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Monell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Monell 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Monell a common name?
We classify Monell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 23 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Monell most popular?
The single biggest year for Monell was 1921, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Monell is about 86 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 Monell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Monell a female name?
Yes, 78.3% of people registered as Monell 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 Monell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Monell 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 Monell 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 Monell?
You can see how many people have the name Monell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.