Rendell
Masculine
Rendell is an English surname used as a boy's first name in the mid-twentieth century, close to Randall. The surname belongs to one of the great crime writers of the century, who wrote her darkest books under another name.
How old is the name Rendell?
Rendell first appears in US birth records in 1939 — 86 years ago. The typical Rendell alive today was born around 1975, making them about 50 years old. About 500 people named Rendell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rendell most popular?
Rendell peaked in 1972, reaching #1603 nationally. See the whole 1972 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Rendell
Ruth Rendell wrote more than sixty crime novels, many of them about Inspector Wexford, and from 1986 she also wrote as Barbara Vine, a pen name she kept for slower, darker psychological novels about the long reach of old secrets. Rendell as a first name came from the surname, or from Randall said a little differently. It is a steady, two-syllable name.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Rendell may be a spelling of Randall or an English surname of its own; nothing records which.
Pronouncing Rendell
REN-dul
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Rendell
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
- 1939
- Most boys named
- 197229 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1603reached in 1972
- Change vs 2012
- −16.7%5 in 2023, from 6
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.
Rendells among us
people named Rendell 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
Rendell 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
- A real English surname.
- Comes with Ren as a ready short form.
- Rare, so a Rendell is unlikely to meet another.
- People will write Randall or Rendall.
- As a surname-first name it may be taken for a last name.
- It has no documented meaning of its own.
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Rendell
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Rendells are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Rendell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rendell in 2025?
- Rendell is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Rendell with classmates?
- Rendell will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Robert#92 · Richard#234 · Ronald#637 · Ryan#99 · Raymond#394 · Roger#832 · Ralph#1046 · Roy#525
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rendell? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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