Rydel
A feminine variation of the Scandinavian name Rydell meaning "red meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Rydel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rydel today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rydel births was 2011 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rydel. 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 Rydel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2011
5 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2011 SSA rank
#13,943
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Rydel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rydel 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 Rydel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rydel
The name Rydel is believed to have its origins in the Germanic language family, with roots traced back to the Old Norse and Old High German languages. It is thought to be derived from the word "rid," which means "to ride" or "to journey." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who was a skilled rider or traveler.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rydel can be found in the Icelandic Landnámabók, a medieval text that chronicles the settlement of Iceland in the 9th and 10th centuries. In this text, the name appears as "Rydill," referring to a Norse settler who established a farm in the region of Borgarfjörður.
During the Middle Ages, the name Rydel seems to have been used primarily in Germanic-speaking regions of Europe, such as Germany and the Netherlands. In the 14th century, historical records mention a Rydel von Lichtenberg, a knight and landowner from the region of Alsace, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Rydel Kempe lived in the city of Lübeck, which was part of the Hanseatic League. Kempe was a wealthy merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade and commerce.
Moving forward to the 17th century, a Rydel von Rosenborg is mentioned in Danish historical records as a high-ranking military officer who served under King Christian IV during the Thirty Years' War.
Another notable individual with the name Rydel was a Dutch artist named Rydel van Everdingen, who lived from 1616 to 1675. Everdingen was a renowned painter known for his landscape and seascape works, which were greatly influenced by the Dutch Golden Age of painting.
While the name Rydel has been used across various Germanic cultures and regions throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to other names from the same linguistic roots. Its rarity and distinctive sound have likely contributed to its enduring appeal and preservation as a given name over the centuries.
People
Rydel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rydel 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
Rydel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rydel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rydel 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Rydel a common name?
We classify Rydel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rydel most popular?
The single biggest year for Rydel was 2011, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rydel is about 15 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 Rydel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rydel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rydel 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 Rydel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rydel 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 Rydel 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 are named Rydel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.