Given name & surname
Burnell
“the small brown-haired one”
Burnell is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “the small brown-haired one.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “the small brown-haired one.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1906. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Burnell through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,383
- 2,790 boys · 593 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 86 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 100% boys.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2022. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 67 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,284 as a first name in 2020; 3,717 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Burnell’s family of names
Burnell has a related form in Brunel. Burnell has a related form in Brunele. Burnell has a related form in Brunell.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Burnell, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Garnett
“resembling the dark-red gem” · “one who wields a spear”
>99% boys
Guido
“one who acts as a guide”
>99% boys
Granville
“from the large village”
>99% boys
Garland
“decorated with a wreath of flowers” · “one who is crowned”
86% boys · 14% girls
Merle
“resembling a blackbird”
98% boys · 2% girls
Lonzo
“one who is ready for battle”
>99% boys
Raoul
“wolf counsel” · “wolt counsel”
>99% boys
Hillard
Hillard is a masculine given name from French.
>99% boys