Yamal
From the Nenets language, meaning "peninsula at the end of land".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Yamal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yamal today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yamal births was 1971 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yamal. 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 Yamal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1971
5 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1971 SSA rank
#5,645
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Yamal: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Yamal 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 Yamal 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Yamal
The name Yamal has its origins in the Nenets language, spoken by the indigenous Nenets people of northern Arctic Russia. The Nenets are a nomadic reindeer-herding people who have inhabited the vast tundra regions of northwestern Siberia for centuries. Yamal is believed to be derived from the Nenets word "yo'mal," meaning "the end of the land."
This name likely emerged as a reference to the Yamal Peninsula, a region of frozen tundra that protrudes into the Kara Sea, located in the north of Western Siberia. The peninsula is considered one of the northernmost landmasses in Eurasia, lending credence to the translation of "the end of the land."
While the name Yamal does not appear to have any significant historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been recorded as a first name among the Nenets people for several centuries. One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name was Yamal Khudinskaya, a respected Nenets chieftain who lived in the late 17th century.
In more recent history, Yamal Nenovolok (1887-1972) was a prominent Nenets writer and ethnographer who documented the traditional way of life and folklore of his people. His literary works helped preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Nenets for future generations.
Another notable individual was Yamal Zheleznyakov (1910-1995), a Soviet geologist and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions of Russia. His contributions to the understanding of the geological formations and natural resources of the Yamal Peninsula were invaluable.
In the realm of politics, Yamal Nenyang (1923-2008) was a prominent figure in the Soviet Union's Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (a federal subject within Russia). He served as the First Secretary of the Okrug's Communist Party and played a significant role in the development of the region's infrastructure and industries.
More recently, Yamal Lyalin (1957-2021) was a renowned Nenets artist and sculptor, known for his intricate carvings and depictions of traditional Nenets life. His works gained international recognition and are showcased in various museums and galleries around the world.
People
Yamal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yamal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yamal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yamal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yamal 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 Yamal a common name?
We classify Yamal 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 Yamal most popular?
The single biggest year for Yamal was 1971, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yamal is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yamal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yamal 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.