Nevel
A variant of the name Neville, derived from French and meaning "from the new town".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Nevel. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 59.3% of registrations being male. The average person named Nevel today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nevel births was 1919 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nevel. 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 Nevel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1919
6 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1927 SSA rank
#4,621
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Nevel
Nevel is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 27 total registrations, 16 (59.3%) were male and 11 (40.7%) were female.
Nevel as a male name
- Ranked #4,621 in 1927
- 5 male births in 1927
- Peak: 1919 (6 births)
Nevel as a female name
- Ranked #5,408 in 1926
- 5 female births in 1926
- Peak: 1921 (6 births)
Popularity
Nevel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nevel from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 16 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
Nevel 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 Nevel 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 Nevel
The name Nevel is a relatively uncommon given name that has its origins in the Slavic languages. It is believed to have originated from the old Slavic word "nevelik," which means "small" or "diminutive." The name likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 10th to 12th centuries, when Slavic names were widely used across Eastern and Central Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nevel can be found in the Novgorod Chronicles, a collection of historical records from the medieval Novgorod Republic in present-day Russia. In these chronicles, a person named Nevel is mentioned as a nobleman who lived in the 12th century. However, the details surrounding this individual are scarce, and it is uncertain whether Nevel was their given name or a nickname derived from their stature or status.
Throughout history, the name Nevel has been relatively rare, with only a few notable individuals bearing it. One such person was Nevel Denezhkin, a Russian peasant who lived in the 16th century and is remembered for leading a rebellion against the ruling nobility. Another Nevel of note was a 17th-century Ukrainian Cossack leader named Nevel Ostryanyn, who fought against Polish rule in the region.
In the realm of literature, the name Nevel appears in the works of the 19th-century Russian writer Nikolai Gogol. In his short story "The Old World Landowners," Gogol introduces a character named Nevel Platonovich, a landowner known for his eccentric behavior and love for his estate.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Nevel was Nevel Kornilov, a Russian military leader who played a prominent role in the Russian Civil War. Born in 1878, Kornilov was a staunch opponent of the Bolsheviks and led the "Kornilov Affair," an attempted coup against the Provisional Government in 1917. He was later killed in battle in 1918.
Another noteworthy Nevel was Nevel Bochkarev, a Russian general who lived from 1892 to 1972. Bochkarev fought in both World War I and the Russian Civil War, and later served in the Soviet Red Army during World War II, rising to the rank of Lieutenant General.
While the name Nevel may not be as widely recognized as some other names, it has a rich history rooted in the Slavic cultures of Eastern and Central Europe. Despite its relative rarity, the name has been borne by individuals who have left their mark on history, from rebellious peasants and Cossack leaders to military figures and literary characters.
People
Nevel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nevel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nevel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nevel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nevel 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 Nevel a common name?
We classify Nevel 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, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nevel most popular?
The single biggest year for Nevel was 1919, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nevel is about 53 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 Nevel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nevel a male name?
Yes, 59.3% of people registered as Nevel 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 Nevel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nevel 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 Nevel 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 named Nevel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.