Thornell
A name referring to a small thorn bush or thorny area.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Thornell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Thornell today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Thornell births was 1952 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Thornell. 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 Thornell is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Thornells were born before 1962.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Thornell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1952
6 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1960 SSA rank
#4,011
Tracked since 1950
Popularity
Thornell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Thornell from the 1950s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Thornell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Thornell 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 Thornell 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 Thornell
The name Thornell has its origins in the Old English language, deriving from the word "thorn" which referred to the thorny shrub or tree, and "ell" which meant a meadow or clearing. This suggests that the name likely originated among Anglo-Saxon communities during the early medieval period, possibly as a locational surname referring to someone who lived near a thorny thicket or clearing.
While not extensively documented in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the name Thornell can be traced back to records from the 11th century in parts of England. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Thornell in the county of Gloucestershire.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the name Thornell remained relatively obscure but can be found in various historical records across different regions of England. One notable individual was Sir Thornell Wyndham, a 14th-century knight and landowner from Somerset, who participated in the Hundred Years' War against France.
During the 16th century, a man named Thornell Smythe gained recognition as a skilled architect and stonemason, contributing to the construction of several churches and manor houses in the county of Wiltshire. His work can still be admired in the intricate carvings and masonry of these buildings.
In the 17th century, Thornell Cromwell, a distant relative of Oliver Cromwell, served as a captain in the Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War. He is recorded as having fought in several battles, including the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
Moving into the 18th century, Thornell Whitbread, born in 1717, was a renowned brewer and entrepreneur from Bedfordshire. He founded the Whitbread Brewery, which became one of the largest and most successful breweries in England, operating for over two centuries.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Thornell, reflecting its enduring presence, albeit relatively uncommon, within English-speaking communities over the centuries.
People
Thornell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Thornell 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
Thornell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Thornell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Thornell 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Thornell a common name?
We classify Thornell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Thornell most popular?
The single biggest year for Thornell was 1952, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Thornell is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Thornell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Thornell 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.