Noell
An anglicized spelling of the French feminine name Noelle meaning "Christmas" or "birthday".
Name Census estimates that about 677 living Americans carry the first name Noell. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 87.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Noell today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Noell births was 1967 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Noell. 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
677
~ 1 in 506,284 Americans
Peak year
1967
21 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2022 SSA rank
#10,550
Tracked since 1945
Gender
Gender distribution for Noell
Noell leans heavily female at 87.8% of total registrations, but 88 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Noell as a male name
- Ranked #10,550 in 2022
- 7 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2006 (7 births)
Noell as a female name
- Ranked #17,082 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 1967 (21 births)
Popularity
Noell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Noell from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 150 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Noell 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 Noell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Noells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Noell
The name Noell has its origins in the French language, derived from the word "noël," which means "Christmas" or "Yuletide." The name is closely associated with the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, as "noël" is the French word for Christmas.
In the Middle Ages, the name Noell was sometimes given to children born around the Christmas season, reflecting the joyous occasion of their birth. The name's connection to the nativity story and the festivities surrounding Christmas made it a popular choice among Christian families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Noell can be found in the 14th century. A French nobleman named Noell de Saint-Quentin is mentioned in historical records from that time period. However, the name's usage was relatively rare until the 16th and 17th centuries, when it gained more popularity.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Noell. One example is Noell Coward (1899-1973), the famous English playwright, composer, director, and actor. His works, such as "Private Lives" and "Blithe Spirit," have become classics of the 20th century theater.
Another prominent figure with the name Noell was Noell Ewan Wangel (1832-1915), a Norwegian judge and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1891 to 1892 and again from 1893 to 1895.
In the realm of literature, Noell Hervey (1892-1975) was a British novelist and biographer known for her works on the lives of famous writers, including Samuel Johnson and Robert Browning.
The name Noell also has a connection to the world of music. Noell Gallagher (born 1967) is an English singer-songwriter and former lead guitarist of the rock band Oasis.
Lastly, Noell Purnell (1886-1965) was an American actor and director who made significant contributions to the early days of Hollywood cinema, working on films such as "The Birth of a Nation" and "Intolerance."
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals who have carried the name Noell throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and eras.
People
Noell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Noell 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
Noell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Noell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 677 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Noell 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 506,284 US residents.
Is Noell a common name?
We classify Noell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 722 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Noell most popular?
The single biggest year for Noell was 1967, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Noell is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Noell a female name?
Yes, 87.8% of people registered as Noell 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.