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Very Rare

Novell

A variant of the French name Noël meaning "born on Christmas".

Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Novell. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Novell today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Novell births was 1922 (10 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Novell. 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 Novell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

11

~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans

Peak year

1922

10 babies that year

Average age

17

years old

2021 SSA rank

#4,287

Tracked since 1919

Gender

Gender distribution for Novell

Novell leans heavily female at 80.4% of total registrations, but 10 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.

20% male
80% female
Male10 (19.6%)Female41 (80.4%)

Novell as a male name

  • Ranked #13,515 in 2021
  • 5 male births in 2021
  • Peak: 2016 (5 births)

Novell as a female name

  • Ranked #4,287 in 1932
  • 6 female births in 1932
  • Peak: 1922 (10 births)

Popularity

Novell: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Novell from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 27 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.

Babies born per year

MaleFemale
035810192019401960198020002020

Decades

Novell 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 Novell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1910s088
1920s02727
1930s066
2010s505
2020s505

Geography

Where Novells live

Origin

Meaning and history of Novell

The given name Novell finds its origins in the Latin language, with roots dating back to the ancient Roman civilization. Derived from the Latin word "novellus," which means "new" or "young," this name carries a sense of freshness and vitality.

In the early centuries of the Common Era, the name Novell was primarily associated with the Roman aristocracy and upper classes. It was a name bestowed upon young sons of noble families, symbolizing the hope and promise they embodied for their lineage.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Novell can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned a Roman senator named Novellus Rufus in his work "Annals." Tacitus lived from around 56 to 120 AD, providing an insight into the use of the name during the Roman Empire's heyday.

As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the name Novell gained a new dimension of meaning. Several early Christian saints and martyrs bore this name, including Saint Novellus of Vercelli, an Italian bishop who lived in the 4th century AD.

During the Middle Ages, the name Novell maintained its presence, particularly in regions with strong Roman cultural influences, such as Italy and parts of France. One notable figure from this period was Novello Malatesta, an Italian condottiero (mercenary leader) who lived from 1418 to 1465 and played a significant role in the conflicts of the Italian Renaissance.

As the Renaissance blossomed, the name Novell continued to be used, albeit less frequently. One prominent bearer of this name was Novello da San Lucano, an Italian painter and architect who lived from 1487 to 1561 and contributed to the artistic and architectural marvels of the Renaissance era.

Moving into the 17th century, Novell found a place in the literary world through the works of the English playwright and poet Thomas Middleton. In his play "The Old Law," Middleton featured a character named Novell, reflecting the enduring presence of this name in European culture.

While the name Novell may not be as common today as it once was, it carries a rich historical legacy and a connection to the ancient roots of Western civilization. Throughout the centuries, individuals bearing this name have left their mark in various fields, from religion and politics to art and literature, contributing to the tapestry of human history.

People

Novell + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Novell 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

Novell: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Novell?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Novell 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 31,159,485 US residents.

Is Novell a common name?

We classify Novell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 51 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Novell most popular?

The single biggest year for Novell was 1922, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Novell is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Novell a female name?

Yes, 80.4% of people registered as Novell 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.

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