Percell
A name derived from the Old French word "persil," meaning "parsley."
Name Census estimates that about 569 living Americans carry the first name Percell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Percell today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Percell births was 1953 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Percell. 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
569
~ 1 in 602,380 Americans
Peak year
1953
27 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2004 SSA rank
#12,734
Tracked since 1907
Popularity
Percell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Percell from the 1900s through to the 2000s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 190 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Percell 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 Percell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Percells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina recorded the most babies named Percell, while South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 112 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Percell
The name Percell is believed to have originated from the French language, specifically in the region of Normandy during the early medieval period. Its roots can be traced back to the Old French word "percel," which meant "a small parcel or portion of land." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a surname, referring to someone who owned or worked on a small piece of land.
In its earliest recorded use as a given name, Percell can be found in ancient French manuscripts dating back to the 12th century. One notable reference is in the poetry of the renowned French trouvère, Chrétien de Troyes, who lived between 1135 and 1183. He mentions a character named Percell in his famous work, "Le Chevalier de la Charrette" (The Knight of the Cart).
The name Percell gained popularity across various regions of Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in France, England, and parts of Germany. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Percell de Montfort, a French nobleman who lived in the late 12th century and was a vassal of the Count of Toulouse.
In the 14th century, a renowned English philosopher and logician named Percell Baconthorp (c. 1290-1347) gained recognition for his contributions to the study of logic and metaphysics. He was a member of the Franciscan order and taught at the University of Oxford.
During the Renaissance period, Percell Gennep (1495-1567) was a Dutch humanist scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a prolific writer and published numerous works on theology and biblical interpretation.
Another notable figure with the name Percell was Percell Fougères (1610-1676), a French painter and illustrator who was renowned for his portraits and religious works. He was a member of the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris.
In the 19th century, Percell Delaunay (1828-1891) was a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the theory of lunar motion. He served as the director of the Paris Observatory for several years.
While the name Percell has its roots in the French language and culture, it has been adopted and used across various regions and cultures throughout history, although its popularity has waned in more recent times.
People
Percell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Percell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Percell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Percell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 569 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Percell 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 602,380 US residents.
Is Percell a common name?
We classify Percell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,064 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Percell most popular?
The single biggest year for Percell was 1953, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Percell is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Percell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Percell 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.
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.