Tarrell
A masculine name of uncertain origin, possibly related to the Old English word "terrier".
Name Census estimates that about 771 living Americans carry the first name Tarrell. It is a predominantly male name (98.6% of registrations). The average person named Tarrell today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarrell births was 1987 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarrell. 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 Tarrell with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
771
~ 1 in 444,558 Americans
Peak year
1987
35 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,157
Tracked since 1962
Census
Tarrell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 602 people with the first name Tarrell, which placed it at #18,028 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
#18,028
National first-name rank
People counted
602
602 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
78.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tarrell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tarrell is Black at 78.4%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Tarrell 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 Tarrell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.4% · 472
- White11.0% · 66
- Two or more races4.8% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Tarrell
Tarrell leans heavily male at 98.6% of total registrations, but 11 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Tarrell as a male name
- Ranked #13,964 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1987 (35 births)
Tarrell as a female name
- Ranked #8,157 in 1972
- 6 female births in 1972
- Peak: 1972 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tarrell leans strongly male. 558 people counted with this name were male (92.5%), compared with 45 female bearers (7.5%).
Popularity
Tarrell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tarrell from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 238 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tarrell 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 Tarrell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tarrells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Maryland, Michigan recorded the most babies named Tarrell, while Michigan, Maryland, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tarrell
The name Tarrell has its origins in the ancient Celtic language, which was spoken by various tribes and communities throughout Western Europe during the Iron Age, around 800 BC to 1 BC. The name is believed to be derived from the Celtic word "tarr," which means "thunder" or "thunderous," and the suffix "-ell," which was a common diminutive or endearing form in the language.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Tarrell can be found in the ancient Irish annals, where it appears as "Tairrell," referring to a chieftain or warrior from the 5th century AD. It is likely that the name was more widespread in regions that were heavily influenced by Celtic culture, such as parts of present-day Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and parts of northern France and England.
In the Middle Ages, the name Tarrell was occasionally used by noble families in various parts of Europe, although it was not as common as some other Celtic names. One notable figure bearing this name was Tarrell de Montfort, a Norman knight who fought in the Crusades during the 12th century.
As the centuries passed, the name Tarrell continued to be used sporadically, often among families with Celtic roots or connections. In the 18th century, Tarrell Wilkinson was a British explorer and writer who documented his travels in the Middle East and North Africa.
Another notable bearer of the name was Tarrell Brown, an American abolitionist and writer who lived in the 19th century. Born into slavery in Virginia in 1829, Brown escaped to the North and became an influential advocate for the abolition of slavery and the rights of African Americans.
In more recent times, the name Tarrell has been used by individuals from various backgrounds, though it remains relatively uncommon. One example is Tarrell Christie, a former professional basketball player from the United States who played in the NBA and various international leagues in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
While the name Tarrell may not be as widely recognized as some other Celtic names, its roots in ancient history and its association with various notable figures throughout the centuries make it a unique and intriguing choice for those interested in names with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Tarrell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarrell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tarrell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarrell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 771 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarrell 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 444,558 US residents.
Is Tarrell a common name?
We classify Tarrell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 799 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tarrell most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarrell was 1987, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarrell is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tarrell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 602 people with the name Tarrell, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,028 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 Tarrell 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 Tarrell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Tarrell leans strongly male. 558 people counted with this name were male (92.5%), compared with 45 female bearers (7.5%). 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 Tarrell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tarrell is Black at 78.4%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Tarrell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tarrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (472 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 Tarrell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tarrell a male name?
Yes, 98.6% of people registered as Tarrell 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 Tarrell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tarrell 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 Tarrell 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 the name Tarrell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.