Kemuel
Masculine · “raised by God”
Kemuel is a Hebrew name from Genesis, and its reading is argued between two quite different senses — raised by God, and the assembly of God.
How old is the name Kemuel?
Kemuel first appears in US birth records in 1970 — 55 years ago. The typical Kemuel alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 600 people named Kemuel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kemuel most popular?
Kemuel peaked in 2017, reaching #3518 nationally. Today it ranks #3949, 431 places below that high. See the whole 2017 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Qemu'el to Kemuel
The story of Kemuel
Kemuel appears three times in the Hebrew Bible — a nephew of Abraham and the father of Aram, a prince of Ephraim in the wilderness census, and a Levite official under David. None of them does anything the text records at length. The name is used in Filipino and Latin American Christian families in real numbers, and reaches American records chiefly from there.
Meaningscholars disagree
raised by God, or assembly of God
The el at the end is God. The first element is read either from a verb meaning to raise or stand up, or from a word for a gathering. Neither is settled, which is common for the shorter biblical names.
How the name formed
- Qemu'el
- Kemuel
Related forms: Qemu'el · Kemuel · Kemuel
Pronouncing Kemuel
KEM-yoo-el
Three syllables, first stressed. Spanish speakers say keh-MWEL.
Nicknames for Kemuel
Moderate
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
- 1970
- Most boys named
- 201731 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3518reached in 2017
- Change vs 2024
- +12.5%27 in 2025, from 24
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.
Kemuel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Qemu'el in Hebrew — same name
- Kemuel in Spanish — same name
- Kemuel in Tagalog — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Florida, Massachusetts.
Kemuels among us
people named Kemuel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 63,262 born in 2025 was named Kemuel
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Arel test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Kemuel's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Arel climbed just as high around 1937, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Arel's path sketches the road Kemuel is walking now.
Kemuel sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Kemuel is headed
Kemuel should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Kemuel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Kemuel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented biblical name in a very small and distinctive group.
- The el ending places it clearly among the -el names, which are widely understood.
- Six letters and three syllables, manageable to write.
- The two readings mean quite different things and neither is settled.
- The English and Spanish pronunciations differ in syllable count.
- It is rare enough that it needs spelling every time.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Kemuel
Masculine · #3949 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Kemuels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Kemuel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kemuel in 2025?
- Kemuel ranks #3949 among US boy names in 2025, with 27 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Kemuel?
- About 1 in every 63,262 US boys born in 2025 was named Kemuel — 27 in all.
- Will my child share the name Kemuel with classmates?
- Kemuel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Kemuel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Stewart#3949 · Tillman#3949 · Ashley#3949 · Alfonzo#3949 · Blane#3949 · Brayton#3949 · Omega#3949 · Rufus#3949
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kemuel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kemuel and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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