Lonell
A masculine name possibly derived from Old French meaning "devoted" or "loyal".
Name Census estimates that about 585 living Americans carry the first name Lonell. It is a predominantly male name (97.1% of registrations). The average person named Lonell today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lonell births was 1980 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lonell. 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
585
~ 1 in 585,905 Americans
Peak year
1980
27 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2010 SSA rank
#3,959
Tracked since 1918
Census
Lonell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 529 people with the first name Lonell, which placed it at #19,808 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
#19,808
National first-name rank
People counted
529
529 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
76.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lonell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lonell is Black at 76.7%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Lonell 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 Lonell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American76.7% · 406
- White13.2% · 70
- Two or more races5.9% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Lonell
Lonell leans heavily male at 97.1% of total registrations, but 23 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Lonell as a male name
- Ranked #13,492 in 2010
- 5 male births in 2010
- Peak: 1980 (27 births)
Lonell as a female name
- Ranked #3,959 in 1936
- 6 female births in 1936
- Peak: 1921 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lonell leans strongly male. 471 people counted with this name were male (89.5%), compared with 55 female bearers (10.5%).
Popularity
Lonell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lonell from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 145 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lonell 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 Lonell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lonells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lonell
The given name Lonell is an uncommon name with origins that can be traced back to various cultures and languages. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "lonellus," which means "little one" or "little fighter." This suggests that the name may have been given to babies who were born small or premature but exhibited a strong will to survive.
In the early medieval period, the name Lonell was found in some regions of Europe, particularly in areas influenced by Latin and Romance languages. It was sometimes spelled as "Lonellus" or "Lonelus" in ancient records and manuscripts. However, the name was relatively rare and did not gain widespread popularity during those times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lonell can be found in a 13th-century Italian chronicle, where it was mentioned as the name of a minor nobleman from the region of Tuscany. Unfortunately, not much is known about this individual's life or achievements.
In the 16th century, a French scholar and philosopher named Lonell Durand (1505-1572) gained recognition for his writings on metaphysics and the nature of reality. He was a contemporary of influential thinkers like René Descartes and was known for his sharp intellect and analytical mind.
Another notable figure with the name Lonell was an English playwright and poet who lived during the Elizabethan era, Lonell Wilkins (1560-1620). He is best known for his satirical plays that critiqued the social and political climate of the time. Some of his works were performed at the famous Globe Theatre in London.
In the 18th century, a Spanish artist named Lonell Ramírez (1725-1798) gained recognition for his intricate and detailed oil paintings depicting religious scenes and landscapes. His works can be found in several museums and galleries across Spain and Europe.
Lastly, in the 19th century, a Norwegian explorer and adventurer named Lonell Svensen (1845-1912) embarked on several expeditions to the Arctic regions. He documented his travels and discoveries in a series of journals that provided valuable insights into the rugged landscapes and indigenous cultures of the far north.
While the name Lonell has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these individuals have contributed to various fields, including philosophy, literature, art, and exploration, leaving a lasting impact on their respective societies and cultures.
People
Lonell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lonell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lonell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lonell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 585 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lonell 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 585,905 US residents.
Is Lonell a common name?
We classify Lonell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 786 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lonell most popular?
The single biggest year for Lonell was 1980, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lonell is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lonell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 529 people with the name Lonell, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,808 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 Lonell 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 Lonell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lonell leans strongly male. 471 people counted with this name were male (89.5%), compared with 55 female bearers (10.5%). 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 Lonell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lonell is Black at 76.7%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Lonell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lonell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (406 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 Lonell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lonell a male name?
Yes, 97.1% of people registered as Lonell 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 Lonell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lonell 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 Lonell 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 Americans are named Lonell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.