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Arnell
How to Pronounce Arnell
Pronounced ar-NEL /ɑrˈnɛl/Medium
Meaning: Arnell is best read as a twentieth-century American coinage, most likely a feminine elaboration of Arnold (Germanic 'eagle power') or a blend on the fashionable -nell ending. A single fixed origin is not documented.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Arnell looks like a twentieth-century American coinage rather than an inherited name. The likeliest reading is a feminine elaboration of Arnold, from the Germanic arn 'eagle' and wald 'power', or a fresh blend on the popular -nell ending shared by Nell and Arnelle. It appears in United States birth records mid-century, reached its modest high around 1962, and was never common, given to only a couple dozen girls a year.
A girl named Arnell then would be in her sixties now, and the name reads as an inventive, of-its-moment choice. It has not revived, and because its origin is uncertain, it sits with the honestly coined names rather than the traceable classics.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Arnell mean?
It is most likely a mid-century American coinage, a feminine form built on Arnold or the -nell ending; a single origin is uncertain.
How do you pronounce Arnell?
It's said ar-NEL /ɑrˈnɛl/, two syllables, stress on the second.
Is Arnell a boy or girl name?
Arnell here is used as a girl's name, though it has seen occasional male use too.
How popular is Arnell?
It has always been very rare, a coined name given to only a couple dozen girls a year around the nineteen-sixties.