Boy · #1,290 in 2026

Ansel

Name: Popularity of the name Ansel in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Ansel, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Ansel is a name derived from the same root as Anselm, a medieval Germanic name of uncertain meaning, perhaps view 'follower of a nobleman' or 'with divine protection'. Notable people with the name include:

English

Current Rank

#1,290

Peak Rank

#538 (2018)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-1%

1918

First Year

2016

Last Year

1918

Peak Year

#4809

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ansel

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English

The Story of Ansel

Ansel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1882, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2018: 171 births, good for #1,127 nationwide. About 24% of every Ansel on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ansel ranks #1,290 for baby boys with 152 births, holding steady (-1%). All told, over 5K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Ansel

Phonetically similar names — useful when Ansel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Ancel
Unsell
Unseal
Ansell
Insel
Ensile
Insul
Unwell
Acel
Ensoul
Unheal
Annelle

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ansel

What does the name Ansel mean?

What is the origin of the name Ansel?

Ansel has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Ansel in 2026?

In 2026, Ansel ranks #1,290 among boys' names in the U.S., with 152 babies given the name that year.

When was Ansel most popular?

Ansel reached its peak popularity in 2018, ranking #538 that year with 171 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Ansel most popular?

Ansel has historically been most popular in South Carolina, Montana, Colorado. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ansel.

Is Ansel a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Ansel is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Ansel?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ansel include Sanders, Edison, Arian. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Ansel

Ansel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1882 and has accumulated 5K births in the dataset. Ansel's peak popularity came in 2018 when it ranked #538. Use the chart and map above to compare Ansel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.