Grettell
A feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the first name Grettell. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Grettell today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Grettell births was 2019 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Grettell. 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
130
~ 1 in 2,636,572 Americans
Peak year
2019
16 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,595
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Grettell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Grettell from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 69 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Grettell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Grettell 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 Grettell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Grettells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Grettell
The given name Grettell is a variation of the Old Norse name Grettir, which means "the bright one" or "the radiant one." It is believed to have originated in Iceland during the Viking Age, around the 9th to 11th centuries AD. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "grjótr," which means "stone" or "rock," and is related to the Old English word "greot," which has a similar meaning.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grettir can be found in the Icelandic saga Grettis saga, which dates back to the 13th century. The saga tells the story of Grettir the Strong, a legendary Icelandic outlaw and warrior who lived in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. Grettir was known for his immense strength and bravery, as well as his fierce temper and tendency towards violence.
Another notable historical figure with the name Grettir was Grettir Ásmundarson (1030-1031), an Icelandic lawspeaker and chieftain who played a significant role in the Christianization of Iceland. He is mentioned in the Landnámabók, a medieval Icelandic manuscript that chronicles the settlement of Iceland by Norse settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries.
In more recent times, the name Grettell has been used as a feminine variation of the Old Norse name Grettir. One of the earliest recorded examples of this variation is Grettell Leitch (1878-1953), a Scottish artist and painter who was known for her portraits and landscapes.
Another notable person with the name Grettell was Grettell Valdez (1915-2011), a Mexican-American civil rights activist who fought for equal rights and opportunities for Mexican Americans in the United States. She was a co-founder of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and played a crucial role in the desegregation of schools in Texas.
Additionally, Grettell Correa (born 1989) is a Colombian actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films in Colombia and other Latin American countries.
While the name Grettell is not as common as some other names, it has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in Icelandic and Norse mythology and literature. Its meaning of "the bright one" or "the radiant one" also adds a sense of positivity and radiance to those who bear this name.
People
Grettell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Grettell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Grettell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Grettell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 130 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Grettell 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 2,636,572 US residents.
Is Grettell a common name?
We classify Grettell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 131 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Grettell most popular?
The single biggest year for Grettell was 2019, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Grettell is about 10 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 Grettell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Grettell a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Grettell in the SSA data are female. 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 Grettell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Grettell 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 Grettell 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 Americans are named Grettell?
Find out how many people share the name Grettell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.