Burnell
A girls’ name of Old English origin, meaning small stream; diminutive of burn.
Babies a year
5
the US, 2017
Rarity
Very rare
among names in use
US popularity
—
outside the top 1000
UK popularity
—
outside the ONS list
Burnell by the numbers
Burnell was given to 5 American babies in 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
Its American peak was 67 babies in 1920, so it is a 1920s name that has since fallen a long way.
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Burnell. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
- Briell10 in the US (2017)
Other names that mean water
Like Burnell, each of these has water in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
- Mayaillusion; mother; water1,259 in England and Wales (2025)
- Riverflowing water; nature name3,114 in the US (2017)
- Brookesmall stream1,616 in the US (2017)
- Taliagod's dew; form of Thalia or Natalia260 in England and Wales (2025)
- Kendraclear water; from a place name734 in the US (2017)
- Rosemarydew of the sea; the herb rosemary687 in the US (2017)
Names about as common as Burnell
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