How Many People Are Named Noel?
An estimated 53,852 people in the United States have the first name Noel. It is used for both genders, with 77.3% male. The average bearer is 36 years old, and Noel peaked in popularity in 2014 with 1,107 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Noel as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Noel paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
53,852
About 1 in 6,365 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
77.3% confidence
Average Age
36
years old
Peak Year
2014
1,107 births
Total Registered
66,576
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Noel
Noel is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (77.3%) and females (22.7%). Out of 66,576 total births registered, 51,456 were male and 15,120 were female.
Noel as a male name
Ranked #434 in 2024
728 male births in 2024
Peak: 2014 (901 births)
Noel as a female name
Ranked #1,490 in 2024
146 female births in 2024
Peak: 1987 (336 births)
Noel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 61,698 people with the first name Noel, which placed it at #795 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Noel was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 61,698 people with this name in that snapshot, 79.3% were male and 20.7% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 77.3% of the time.
Census Count
61,698
people with this name
Census Rank
#795
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
20.43
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Noel was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Hispanic (42.31%). The next largest recorded groups were White (35.80%) and Black (9.81%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Noel in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Noel.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 42.31% | 26,104 |
| White | 35.80% | 22,087 |
| Black | 9.81% | 6,052 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 9.04% | 5,580 |
| Two or More Races | 2.59% | 1,598 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.45% | 276 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Noel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Noel span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 9,476 babies were registered. While Noel is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Noel by Decade
How has Noel tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 95 | 95 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 155 | 155 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 307 | 302 | 5 | |
| 1910s | 1,481 | 1,378 | 103 | |
| 1920s | 2,299 | 2,115 | 184 | |
| 1930s | 3,762 | 3,298 | 464 | |
| 1940s | 4,456 | 3,541 | 915 | |
| 1950s | 4,551 | 3,646 | 905 | |
| 1960s | 5,952 | 4,664 | 1,288 | |
| 1970s | 6,943 | 5,136 | 1,807 | |
| 1980s | 7,267 | 4,773 | 2,494 | |
| 1990s | 7,658 | 5,271 | 2,387 | |
| 2000s | 7,687 | 5,813 | 1,874 | |
| 2010s | 9,476 | 7,612 | 1,864 | |
| 2020s | 4,487 | 3,657 | 830 | |
Noel by State
Birth registrations for Noel span all 48 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in New Hampshire, Alaska, Maine. On average, about 1,158 Noels were registered per state.
Noel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Noel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Noel
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
Noel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Noel?
We estimate approximately 53,852 people named Noel are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 6,365 Americans share this first name.
Is Noel a common name?
Noel is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.2% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 66,576 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Noel most popular?
Noel reached peak popularity in 2014, when 1,107 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Noel is approximately 36 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Noel in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 61,698 people with the first name Noel. That placed it at #795 in the published Census first-name tables, or 20.43 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Noel was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Noel?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Noel was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 79.3% male and 20.7% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Noel?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Noel was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Hispanic (42.31%). The next largest recorded groups were White (35.80%) and Black (9.81%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Noel a male name?
Noel is predominantly male. 77.3% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Noel have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Noel peaked in 2014, and the average living bearer is about 36 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Noel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Noel Smith, Noel Johnson, Noel Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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