Buell
Masculine
Buell is a surname given as a first name, and the man who made it briefly famous in America spent the rest of his life being argued about for arriving somewhere on time.
How old is the name Buell?
Buell first appears in US birth records in 1889 — 136 years ago. The typical Buell alive today was born around 1926, making them about 99 years old. About 100 people named Buell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Buell most popular?
Buell peaked in 1898, reaching #885 nationally. See the whole 1898 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Buell
A Union general called Buell marched his army through the night and arrived at a river landing in Tennessee while a battle that had gone very badly was still in progress. His divisions crossed in the dark, the line held, and the second day went the other way. Whether he saved the army or merely turned up is the kind of question that American military history has never stopped chewing on, and he was relieved of command within the year. The name reached children through him and through the New England families who carried it, and the two streams are not easy to tell apart in the record.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The surname's origin is not settled; it has been connected to an Old French personal name and to an English place, and neither has been demonstrated. As a first name it carries no meaning.
Pronouncing Buell
BYOO-ul
Two syllables, stress at the front. Some families say BEWL, with one.
Nicknames for Buell
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1889
- Most boys named
- 192038 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #885reached in 1898
- Change vs 1971
- 0.0%5 in 1975, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Buells among us
people named Buell are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Buell sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is short, distinctive and carried by almost nobody.
- It has the settled sound of a genuine family name.
- It is read correctly by most people on sight.
- Two pronunciations are in use and he will be asked which.
- It will be heard as Bull, Beall or Buehl.
- There is no meaning to hand him, only the families that carried it.
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Buell
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Buells are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Buell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Buell in 2025?
- Buell is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Buell with classmates?
- Buell will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More B names
The most-given names starting with B, all years combined.
Brian#339 · Benjamin#11 · Brandon#261 · Bryan#336 · Bruce#536 · Billy#1068 · Bobby#1097 · Bradley#403
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Buell? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Buell and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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