Kordell
A masculine name of German origin meaning "full of strength."
Name Census estimates that about 1,710 living Americans carry the first name Kordell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kordell today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kordell births was 1998 (174 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kordell. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kordell with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 200,441 Americans
Peak year
1998
174 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,490
Tracked since 1967
Census
Kordell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,338 people with the first name Kordell, which placed it at #10,094 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
#10,094
National first-name rank
People counted
1.3K
1,338 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
44.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kordell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kordell is Black at 44.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.0%) and Two or More Races (11.7%). 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 Kordell 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 Kordell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American44.3% · 593
- White33.0% · 441
- Two or more races11.7% · 157
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.2% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 14
Popularity
Kordell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kordell from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 640 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kordell 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 Kordell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kordells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. Texas, Pennsylvania, California recorded the most babies named Kordell, while Washington, Tennessee, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kordell
The name Kordell is a unique and relatively modern name with a fascinating history that spans multiple cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "cord," which means "cord" or "string." This word likely evolved from the Latin word "chorda," which also means "cord" or "string."
In the Middle Ages, the name Kordell may have been used as a surname or occupational name for someone who worked with cords or strings, such as a rope maker or a bowyer. The earliest recorded instance of the name Kordell dates back to the 16th century in England, where it was spelled as "Cordell."
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Kordell was Sir William Cordell (1492-1584), an English lawyer, politician, and Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Queen Mary I. He played a significant role in the reformation of the Church of England and was known for his religious tolerance.
Another notable figure with the name Kordell was Kordell Stewart (born 1972), a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears. He was known for his versatility as a dual-threat quarterback and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2001.
In the world of literature, Kordell Kordelleski was the name of a character in the novel "The Hustler" by Walter Tevis, published in 1959. Although a minor character, Kordell Kordelleski's name has become somewhat iconic in the world of pool and billiards.
Kordell Norfleet (born 1974) is an American actor best known for his roles in the television series "Dawson's Creek" and "One Tree Hill." He has also appeared in various films and stage productions throughout his career.
Kordell Williams (born 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and has also played for the Nashville Predators and the New Jersey Devils.
While the name Kordell has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has gained some popularity in recent decades, particularly in the United States. Its unique sound and intriguing origins have contributed to its appeal as a given name, making it a distinctive choice for parents seeking a name with a touch of history and cultural significance.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kordell
People
Kordell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kordell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kordell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kordell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,710 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kordell 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 200,441 US residents.
Is Kordell a common name?
We classify Kordell as "Rare". It ranks above 93% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,737 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kordell most popular?
The single biggest year for Kordell was 1998, when 174 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kordell is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kordell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,338 people with the name Kordell, or 0.44 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,094 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 Kordell 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 Kordell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kordell appears almost entirely male. Of the 1,339 people counted with this name, 99.5% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Kordell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kordell is Black at 44.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.0%) and Two or More Races (11.7%). 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 Kordell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kordell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.3% (593 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 Kordell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kordell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kordell 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 Kordell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kordell 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 Kordell 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 are called Kordell?
Find out how many people share the name Kordell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.