Given name · also Old French
Kestrel
“one who soars”
Kestrel is used as a given name. One English interpretation is “one who soars.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who soars.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old French.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1985. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kestrel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 339
- 27 boys · 312 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 21 babies
- 2025
- 16
- #6,985 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +15%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 16 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,985 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 19 in 2019. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 342 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kestrel’s family of names
Kestrel has a related form in Kestral. Kestrel has a related form in Kestril. Kestrel has a related form in Kestrol.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
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