Majel
A feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 45 living Americans carry the first name Majel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Majel today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Majel births was 1920 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Majel. 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
- • The typical person named Majel is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Majels were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Majel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
45
~ 1 in 7,616,763 Americans
Peak year
1920
21 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1960 SSA rank
#6,937
Tracked since 1901
Census
Majel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 201 people with the first name Majel, 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
White
73.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Majel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Majel is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.0%) and Black (6.0%). 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 Majel 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 Majel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.6% · 148
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.0% · 16
- Black or African American6.0% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 9
- Two or more races2.0% · 4
Popularity
Majel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Majel from the 1900s through to the 1960s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 137 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Majel 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 Majel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Majels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Majel
The name Majel is a unique and relatively rare given name with a fascinating history. It is believed to have originated in the United States, possibly as a variation or derivative of the French name Maelle or the English name Mabel. The name itself does not appear to have any direct roots in ancient languages or cultures, but its origins can be traced back to the early 20th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Majel can be found in reference to Majel Barrett, an American actress and producer who was born in 1932. She is perhaps most notable for her role as Nurse Christine Chapel in the original Star Trek television series, as well as for her marriage to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Majel Barrett Roddenberry was also a driving force behind the creation of the Roddenberry Foundation, which aims to promote science education and exploration.
Another notable figure with the name Majel is Majel Connery, an American opera singer and voice teacher who was born in 1936. She had a successful career as a mezzo-soprano, performing with various opera companies and teaching at renowned institutions such as the Manhattan School of Music.
In the realm of literature, Majel Feldman was an American novelist and short story writer who lived from 1923 to 2014. She was known for her works that explored themes of family, relationships, and the complexities of human experience.
Majel Schmitt, born in 1920, was an American artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her abstract metal sculptures and public art installations. Her works can be found in various museums and public spaces across the United States.
Majel Griffith, born in 1945, was an American educator and civil rights activist. She dedicated her life to promoting educational opportunities and advocating for the rights of underrepresented communities, particularly in the field of education.
While the name Majel may not have a long and storied history dating back to ancient times, it has been carried by remarkable individuals who have left their mark in various fields, including entertainment, arts, literature, and civil rights. The name's uniqueness and rarity have contributed to its intrigue and the enduring legacy of those who have borne it.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Majel
People
Majel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Majel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Majel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Majel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 45 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Majel 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 7,616,763 US residents.
Is Majel a common name?
We classify Majel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 349 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Majel most popular?
The single biggest year for Majel was 1920, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Majel is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Majel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 201 people with the name Majel, 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 Majel 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 Majel?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Majel leans strongly female. 194 people counted with this name were female (93.3%), compared with 14 male bearers (6.7%). 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 Majel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Majel is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.0%) and Black (6.0%). 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 Majel most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Majel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.6% (148 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 Majel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Majel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Majel 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 Majel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Majel 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 Majel 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 share the name Majel?
Want to know how many people have the name Majel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.