Boy · #8,836 in 2026

Parnell

Parnell is a masculine given name borne by:

Current Rank
#8,836
Peak Rank
#1,237 (1963)
Total Babies
1K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1917
First Year
1949
Last Year
1917
Peak Year
#3713
Peak Rank
57
Total Count
10
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Parnell

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

Parnell is a masculine given name borne by:

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

The Story of Parnell

Parnell first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1912, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1963, when 39 Parnells were born — ranking #1,237 that year. As of 2026, Parnell ranks #8,836 for baby boys with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Parnells have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s 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
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Notable people named Parnell

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Parnell Bradbury (1904–1977), British writer, playwright and theatre critic
  • Parnell Dickinson (born 1953), American former National Football League quarterback
  • Parnell Gourlay (1879–1958), Canadian amateur soccer player on the 1904 Olympic champion team
  • Parnell Hall (writer) (1944–2020), American mystery writer
  • Parnell Motley (born 1997), American football player
  • Parnell William Terry , American politician elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2024
  • J. Parnell Thomas (1895–1970), American politician and stockbroker
  • Parnell Woods (1912–1977), American Negro league baseball player

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

Names that sound like Parnell

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

  • Parnel
  • Purnell
  • Pernell
  • Pernel
  • Barnaul
  • Parel
  • Parelle
  • Pownall
  • Pernelle
  • Pernil
  • Peril
  • Panel

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Parnell

What does the name Parnell mean?
Parnell is a masculine given name borne by:
How popular is Parnell in 2026?
In 2026, Parnell ranks #8,836 among boys' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.
When was Parnell most popular?
Parnell reached its peak popularity in 1963, ranking #1,237 that year with 39 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Parnell most popular?
Parnell has historically been most popular in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Parnell.
Is Parnell a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Parnell is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Parnell?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Parnell include Victoriano, Oakland, Nikola. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Parnell

Parnell is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Parnell's peak popularity came in 1963 when it ranked #1,237. Use the chart and map above to compare Parnell'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.