Total births
78
Boys' name · since 1915
Hancel
78 babies named Hancel in U.S. Social Security records since 1915, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 78
- total births
- 1915–2017
- years on record
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 32%
- born in that decade
78 boys have been named Hancel since 1915, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Hancel has 78 recorded births among boys since 1915, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1930s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2017.
- 78 total births
- 1915–2017 years on record
- 1930s peak decade
- 32% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
78 boys have been named Hancel since 1915, peaking in the 1930s, last recorded in 2017.
- 78
- total births
- 1915–2017
- years on record
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 32%
- born in that decade
1930s
Peak decade
32% of everyone ever named Hancel was born in this single decade.
1922
Single peak year
10 babies were named Hancel in 1922 - its busiest year on record.
Hancel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Hancel's SSA record in two at 1930 and the more recent half accounts for 53% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 47%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1915, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1922 peak of 10, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Hancel at a glance
Last recorded 2017Peak year
1922
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1915
Hancel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2017
- Peak year (1922)
- 10
- Annual births at peak, across 103 years of records
Hancel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1930s was Hancel's strongest decade.
25 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Hancel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s
1910s
15 births
- 1920s
1920s
22 births
- 1930s
1930s
25 births
- 1940s
1940s
10 births
- 2010s 6
2010s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 25 births (32% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Hancel? ▼
Hancel has been given to 78 babies in the U.S. since 1915, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2017. 10 babies were born in 1922, its single highest year.
When was Hancel most popular? ▼
Hancel was most popular in the 1930s decade with 25 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
How long has the name Hancel been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Hancel since 1915 -- 103 years through the most recent 2017 data.
What names are similar to Hancel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Hank, Hans, Hansel, Hanson, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Hancel's data
- Hancel's decade-level peak was the 1930s (25 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Hancel
Nearby Names Like Hancel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hancel
Hank Boy
#425 16,984 births
Hans Boy
#1324 15,677 births
Hansel Boy
#1662 3,631 births
Hanson Boy
#2840 1,839 births
Hansen Boy
#3350 887 births
Compare Hancel side by side: Hancel vs Hank Hancel vs Hans Hancel vs Hansel
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1915–2017 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Hancel: Baby Name Since 1915 - 78 Births, Peak 1922." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/hancel. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Hancel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.