Purcell
Of French origin, meaning "young pig" or "piglet".
Name Census estimates that about 218 living Americans carry the first name Purcell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Purcell today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Purcell births was 1948 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Purcell. 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 Purcell is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Purcells were born before 1970.
People living today
218
~ 1 in 1,572,268 Americans
Peak year
1948
13 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1985 SSA rank
#5,597
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Purcell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Purcell from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 91 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
Decades
Purcell 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 Purcell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Purcells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Purcell
The name Purcell is of English origin, derived from the Norman French surname "Pourcelle" or "Pourcelle", meaning "a small swine or piglet". This surname was likely given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who worked with pigs or had a characteristic resembling a piglet.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century in England, where it appeared in various spellings such as "Purcell", "Pursell", and "Pursel". The name gained prominence during the Middle Ages, particularly in the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Purcell was Henry Purcell (1659-1695), an English composer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era. His works, including operas, church music, and instrumental pieces, had a profound influence on the development of English music.
Another prominent individual was Daniel Purcell (c. 1660-1717), the younger brother of Henry Purcell, who was also a talented composer and musician. He served as the organist at St. Andrew's Church in Holborn, London, and composed several works, including anthems and catches.
In the realm of literature, Edward Purcell (1672-1726) was an English dramatist and writer, known for his plays "The Old Batchelor" and "The Double Dealer". He was also a member of the famous Kitcat Club, a prestigious literary and political society in London.
John Purcell (1782-1835) was an English physician and writer, best known for his work "A Treatise on Vapours or Hysteric Fits", which explored the medical understanding of hysteria and mental health in the early 19th century.
Lastly, Redmond Purcell (born 1945) is an American artist and photographer, renowned for his unique and evocative still-life photographs, which often depict natural objects and artifacts in captivating compositions.
People
Purcell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Purcell 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
Purcell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Purcell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 218 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Purcell 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 1,572,268 US residents.
Is Purcell a common name?
We classify Purcell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 454 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Purcell most popular?
The single biggest year for Purcell was 1948, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Purcell is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Purcell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Purcell 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.