Contrell
Of unknown origin, possibly a variation of the name Cornell.
Name Census estimates that about 213 living Americans carry the first name Contrell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Contrell today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Contrell births was 2002 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Contrell. 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.
People living today
213
~ 1 in 1,609,175 Americans
Peak year
2002
13 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2015 SSA rank
#10,940
Tracked since 1971
Census
Contrell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 201 people with the first name Contrell, which placed it at #38,294 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,294
National first-name rank
People counted
201
201 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Contrell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Contrell is Black at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Contrell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Contrell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.5% · 190
- Two or more races3.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 3
- White0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Contrell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Contrell from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 58 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Contrell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Contrell 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 Contrell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Contrells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Contrell
The given name Contrell is a fairly uncommon and unique name, originating from the Gaelic language spoken in parts of Ireland and Scotland. The name is believed to have its roots in the Old Irish word "contur," which means "a noble warrior" or "a brave fighter."
In the early medieval period, the name Contrell was likely used among the Gaelic clans and tribes of Ireland and Scotland to honor newborn sons with the qualities of strength, courage, and valor. The name's meaning and origin are closely tied to the warrior culture of these Celtic societies.
Although there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, some historians suggest that the name Contrell may have been derived from a variant spelling of the name Conall, which was a popular name among Irish kings and chieftains in the 6th and 7th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Contrell dates back to the 12th century, when a warrior named Contrell Mac Giolla Bhríde fought alongside Irish rebels against the Norman invaders. His bravery and skill in battle were widely celebrated, and the name Contrell became associated with valor and heroism.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Contrell. One such figure was Contrell Ó Maoil Sheachlainn (1560-1635), an Irish nobleman and poet who wrote extensively about the struggles of his people against English colonization.
Another famous bearer of the name was Contrell MacCulloch (1742-1818), a Scottish soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent figure in the settlement of Nova Scotia.
In the 19th century, Contrell Buchanan (1826-1891) was a Scottish-born American inventor who patented several important innovations in the field of agriculture and farming equipment.
More recently, Contrell Crow (1911-1988) was a renowned Choctaw artist and painter, known for his vibrant depictions of Native American life and culture.
Lastly, Contrell Varnado (1945-2021) was an American blues and soul singer who achieved recognition for his powerful vocals and contributions to the Southern soul music scene.
While not a highly prevalent name today, Contrell's rich history and associations with bravery, nobility, and cultural heritage make it a unique and meaningful choice for parents seeking a name with deep roots and significance.
People
Contrell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Contrell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Contrell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Contrell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 213 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Contrell 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 1,609,175 US residents.
Is Contrell a common name?
We classify Contrell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 220 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Contrell most popular?
The single biggest year for Contrell was 2002, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Contrell is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Contrell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 201 people with the name Contrell, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,294 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Contrell in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Contrell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Contrell leans strongly male. 186 people counted with this name were male (92.1%), compared with 16 female bearers (7.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Contrell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Contrell is Black at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Contrell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Contrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (190 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Contrell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Contrell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Contrell 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 Contrell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Contrell 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 Contrell 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.
How many people have Contrell as a first name?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Contrell at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.