Tyrrel
A given name of uncertain origin, potentially from the French surname derived from an old English place name.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Tyrrel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Tyrrel today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tyrrel births was 1992 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tyrrel. 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 Tyrrel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1992
5 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1993 SSA rank
#10,077
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Tyrrel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Tyrrel 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 Tyrrel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Tyrrel
The name Tyrrel is derived from the Old French word "tirel," which means "crossbowman" or "archer." It originated in the 11th century during the Norman conquest of England and was commonly used as a surname for those who practiced archery or were skilled with the crossbow.
The earliest recorded use of Tyrrel as a given name dates back to the 12th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Tyrrel of Berkeley, a nobleman and archer who reportedly killed King William II of England in a hunting accident in the New Forest in 1100.
During the Middle Ages, the name Tyrrel was particularly popular among the English nobility and upper classes, as archery and marksmanship were highly valued skills in warfare and hunting. Notable historical figures with the name Tyrrel include Sir Walter Tyrrel (c. 1100-1180), a Norman knight and archer who served under King Henry I of England.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the historical romance "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott, where a character named Tyrrel is depicted as a skilled archer and supporter of the Saxon cause against the Norman invaders.
Moving into the Renaissance period, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir James Tyrrel (c. 1455-1502), a Tudor knight and courtier who was implicated in the disappearance and presumed murder of the Princes in the Tower during the reign of King Richard III.
In the 17th century, a notable Tyrrel was Sir Timothy Tyrrel (1617-1701), an English politician and member of Parliament who played a role in the English Civil War and the Restoration of the monarchy under King Charles II.
Another historical figure named Tyrrel was James Tyrrel (1642-1718), an English author and politician who wrote several treatises on law and government during the late Stuart period.
While the name Tyrrel has its roots in the Middle Ages and was once popular among the English nobility, it has become less common in modern times. However, it remains a unique and distinctive name with a rich historical background, often associated with archery, warfare, and political intrigue.
People
Tyrrel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tyrrel 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
Tyrrel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tyrrel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tyrrel 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Tyrrel a common name?
We classify Tyrrel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tyrrel most popular?
The single biggest year for Tyrrel was 1992, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tyrrel is about 33 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 Tyrrel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tyrrel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tyrrel 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 Tyrrel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tyrrel 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 Tyrrel 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 Tyrrel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.