Boy · #8,981 in 2026

Cartel

A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other and avoid competing with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. They seek to limit competition, fix prices, and increase prices by creating artificial shortages through low production quotas, stockpiling, and marketing quotas.

Current Rank
#8,981
Peak Rank
#5,923 (2013)
Total Babies
134
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1998
First Year
2022
Last Year
2013
Peak Year
#5923
Peak Rank
134
Total Count
15
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Cartel

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

A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other and avoid competing with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. They seek to limit competition, fix prices, and increase prices by creating artificial shortages through low production quotas, stockpiling, and marketing quotas.

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

Etymology
The word cartel comes from the Italian word cartello ( ' leaf of paper ' or ' placard ' ), itself derived from the Latin charta ' card ' . In Middle French , the Italian word became cartel , which was borrowed into English. In English, the word was originally used for a written agreement between warring nations to regulate the treatment and exchange of prisoners from the 1690s onward. From 1899 onwards, the usage of the word became generalized as to mean any intergovernmental agreement between rival nations. The use of the English word cartel to describe an economic group rather than internati
Origin & history
Headquarters of the Rhenish-Westphalian Coal Syndicate , Germany (at times the best known cartel in the world), around 1910 Cartels have existed since ancient times. Guilds in the European Middle Ages , associations of craftsmen or merchants of the same trade, have been regarded as cartel-like. Tightly organized sales cartels existed in the mining industry of the late Middle Ages, like the 1301 salt syndicate in France and Naples , or the Alaun cartel of 1470 between the Papal State and Naples. Both unions had common sales organizations for overall production called the Societas Communis Vendi

The Story of Cartel

Cartel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1998, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2013, when 14 Cartels were born — ranking #5,923 that year. As of 2026, Cartel ranks #8,981 for baby boys with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 134 Cartels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
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AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
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Top 10
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500+
No data

Names that sound like Cartel

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

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cartel

What does the name Cartel mean?
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other and avoid competing with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. They seek to limit competition, fix prices, and increase prices by creating artificial shortages through low production quotas, stockpiling, and marketing quotas.
How popular is Cartel in 2026?
In 2026, Cartel ranks #8,981 among boys' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.
When was Cartel most popular?
Cartel reached its peak popularity in 2013, ranking #5,923 that year with 14 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Cartel most popular?
Cartel has historically been most popular in Ohio. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Cartel.
Is Cartel a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Cartel is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Cartel?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cartel include Rawlin, Vasili, Chanson. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Rawlin
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Vasili
Peak #5923
👦
Chanson
Peak #5923
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Imir
Peak #5923
👦
Vitaly
Peak #5923
👦
Ivann
Peak #5923
👦
Aerion
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👦
Trenden
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About the name Cartel

Cartel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1998 and has accumulated 134 births in the dataset. Cartel's peak popularity came in 2013 when it ranked #5,923. Use the chart and map above to compare Cartel'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.