Nowell
Nowell is a masculine English given name derived from Noël, meaning Christmas in French. Notable people with the name include:Nowell Myres (1902–1989), British archaeologist Nowell Parr (1864–1933), British architect Nowell Salmon (1835–1912), Royal Navy officer Nowell Sotherton, English politician Nowell Twopeny (1819–1869), English priest
- English
Meaning & Origin of Nowell
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Nowell is a masculine English given name derived from Noël, meaning Christmas in French. Notable people with the name include:Nowell Myres (1902–1989), British archaeologist Nowell Parr (1864–1933), British architect Nowell Salmon (1835–1912), Royal Navy officer Nowell Sotherton, English politician Nowell Twopeny (1819–1869), English priest
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Nowell
Nowell first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1927, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1969: 10 births, good for #2,862 nationwide. About 23% of every Nowell on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. Nowell last appeared in the published SSA data in 2022, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 167 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1920s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Nowell
Phonetically similar names — useful when Nowell 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 Nowell
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About the name Nowell
Nowell is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1927 and has accumulated 167 births in the dataset. Nowell's peak popularity came in 1969 when it ranked #2,862. Use the chart and map above to compare Nowell's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1969 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "N" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.