Renell
A masculine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Reynold.
Name Census estimates that about 580 living Americans carry the first name Renell. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.2% of registrations being female. The average person named Renell today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Renell births was 1965 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Renell. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Renell with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
580
~ 1 in 590,956 Americans
Peak year
1965
30 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2007 SSA rank
#13,956
Tracked since 1924
Census
Renell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 722 people with the first name Renell, which placed it at #15,811 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,811
National first-name rank
People counted
722
722 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
62.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Renell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Renell is Black at 62.0%. The next largest groups are White (26.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Renell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Renell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.0% · 448
- White26.5% · 191
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 24
- Two or more races2.9% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 10
Gender
Gender distribution for Renell
Renell is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 707 total registrations, 154 (21.8%) were male and 553 (78.2%) were female.
Renell as a male name
- Ranked #13,956 in 2007
- 5 male births in 2007
- Peak: 1979 (11 births)
Renell as a female name
- Ranked #18,630 in 2014
- 5 female births in 2014
- Peak: 1965 (30 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Renell on both sides of the split. Of the 720 people counted with this name, 206 were male (28.6%) and 514 were female (71.4%).
Popularity
Renell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Renell from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 205 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Renell 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 Renell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Renells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Louisiana, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Renell, while Texas, California, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Renell
The name Renell is believed to have originated from a combination of the French word "reine," meaning queen, and the English suffix "-ell," which is a diminutive form often used to create feminine names. This suggests that the name Renell may have been derived from the idea of a "little queen" or a royal feminine figure.
Historically, the name Renell has been documented in various regions of Europe, particularly in France and England, where it gained popularity during the medieval and Renaissance periods. It is possible that the name was influenced by the French culture and the prominence of royalty during those times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Renell can be traced back to the 13th century, when a noblewoman named Renell de Montfort was mentioned in chronicles from the region of Normandy, France. Her exact birth and death dates are unknown, but her name has been documented in historical records from that era.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Renell Beauchamp lived in England. She was a member of the wealthy Beauchamp family and was known for her charitable works and involvement in the local community. Renell Beauchamp's birth and death years are not precisely recorded, but she is believed to have lived during the latter half of the 15th century.
Another historical figure with the name Renell was Renell de Valois, a French noblewoman who lived in the 16th century. She was a member of the influential Valois dynasty and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature. Renell de Valois's exact birth and death dates are uncertain, but she is believed to have lived during the reign of King Francis I of France.
In the 17th century, a woman named Renell Montague gained recognition as a prominent author and poet in England. Born in 1620 and dying in 1692, Renell Montague was known for her works that explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality. Her poetry collections were widely read and appreciated during her lifetime.
During the 18th century, a French artist and painter named Renell LeBrun made significant contributions to the Rococo art movement. Renell LeBrun was born in 1705 and died in 1789, and her works are still celebrated for their delicate brushwork and vibrant colors, depicting scenes from the French aristocracy and pastoral landscapes.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Renell. While the name may not be as common today, its origins and historical significance reflect a connection to royalty, nobility, and cultural influences from various regions of Europe.
People
Renell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Renell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Renell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Renell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 580 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Renell 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 590,956 US residents.
Is Renell a common name?
We classify Renell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 707 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Renell most popular?
The single biggest year for Renell was 1965, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Renell is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Renell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 722 people with the name Renell, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,811 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Renell in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Renell?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Renell on both sides of the split. Of the 720 people counted with this name, 206 were male (28.6%) and 514 were female (71.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Renell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Renell is Black at 62.0%. The next largest groups are White (26.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Renell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Renell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.0% (448 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Renell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Renell a female name?
Yes, 78.2% of people registered as Renell 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.
Is Renell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Renell 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 Renell 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.
How many people are named Renell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.