Tarnell
An English name derived from Cornelius, meaning "having horns" or "strong as a horn".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Tarnell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tarnell today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarnell births was 1977 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarnell. 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 Tarnell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1977
6 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1977 SSA rank
#5,762
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Tarnell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tarnell 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 Tarnell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tarnell
The name Tarnell is of uncertain origin and has no definitive linguistic roots or cultural background. There are no known historical references or ancient texts mentioning this name, nor any clear derivations from older words or similar spellings in any language.
While the name itself lacks a documented history, there are a few notable individuals who have carried the name Tarnell over the years. One of the earliest recorded examples is Tarnell Brown, an American blues singer and guitarist born in 1936 in Mississippi. He recorded several albums and performed extensively in the 1960s and 1970s before his death in 2008.
Another individual with this name was Tarnell Simpkins, an American football player born in 1941. He played as a defensive back for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Colts in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1960s.
In the world of literature, there is Tarnell Brown, an American author and educator born in 1955. She has written several books, including children's literature and works exploring African American culture and history.
Tarnell Pratt, born in 1960, is an American actress known for her roles in various television shows and films, such as The Wayans Bros. and House Party 2.
Additionally, Tarnell Milsap, born in 1967, is an American former basketball player who played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Sacramento Monarchs and Houston Comets in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
While the name Tarnell may not have a rich historical background or ancient origins, these individuals have left their mark in various fields, contributing to the cultural significance and recognition of this relatively uncommon name.
People
Tarnell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarnell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tarnell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarnell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarnell 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Tarnell a common name?
We classify Tarnell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tarnell most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarnell was 1977, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarnell is about 46 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 Tarnell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tarnell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tarnell 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 Tarnell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tarnell 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 Tarnell 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 share the name Tarnell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.