Quennel
A masculine name of Scottish origin possibly derived from a place name.
Name Census estimates that about 45 living Americans carry the first name Quennel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Quennel today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Quennel births was 1983 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Quennel. 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 Quennel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
45
~ 1 in 7,616,763 Americans
Peak year
1983
11 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1990 SSA rank
#9,148
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Quennel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Quennel from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 37 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
Quennel 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 Quennel 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 Quennel
The name Quennel has its origins in the Old French language, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the word "quennelle," which referred to a small, round, dumpling-like dish made of minced meat or fish. This culinary term was likely used as a surname initially, before evolving into a given name over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Quennel can be found in the 14th century, when a man named Quennel de Beauvais was documented as a knight in the service of the French king. It is believed that this individual may have been from the town of Beauvais in northern France, suggesting that the name was already in use as a surname in that region.
During the Renaissance period, the name Quennel gained some popularity among the upper classes of French society. Notable individuals bearing this name include Quennel de Brie, a 16th-century nobleman and courtier who served under King Francis I. There are also records of a Quennel de Montpellier, a 17th-century theologian and scholar who taught at the University of Montpellier.
As the French colonial empire expanded, the name Quennel spread to other parts of the world. In the 18th century, a man named Quennel Dujardin was a prominent trader and merchant in the French West Indies, establishing trade routes between the Caribbean and mainland France.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Quennel appeared in various literary works and historical records. One notable figure was Quennel Baudelaire, a French poet and translator who was a contemporary of the famous writer Charles Baudelaire. Another individual of note was Quennel Dubois, a French explorer and naturalist who documented his travels in Africa and the Middle East.
In more recent times, the name Quennel has been relatively uncommon, though a few notable individuals have borne it. Quennel Fortier was a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Quebec National Assembly in the mid-20th century. Additionally, Quennel Marchand was a French artist and sculptor who gained recognition for his abstract works in the latter half of the 20th century.
People
Quennel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Quennel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Q
Other first names starting with Q with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Quennel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Quennel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 45 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Quennel 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 7,616,763 US residents.
Is Quennel a common name?
We classify Quennel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 47 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Quennel most popular?
The single biggest year for Quennel was 1983, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Quennel is about 42 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 Quennel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Quennel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Quennel 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 Quennel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Quennel 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 Quennel 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 have Quennel as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.