Revel: Baby Name of the Day

The baby name Revel is a rarity with spirit – and plenty of potential.

Thanks to Meredith for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

MAKING MERRY

Revel pulls double duty, serving as noun and a verb.

From the 1300s onward, it meant to make merry. We’re not talking a quiet night at home with a good book, either. Think rowdy, even riotous crowds – a mosh pit, not a waltz. A very good time indeed.

If you were attending such a party, then you were reveling.

It ultimately comes from the Latin word rebellare – also the root of our English word rebel.

By the eighteenth century, the meaning started to shift. You could “revel in” your good fortune or some other circumstance. The concept becomes a little more sedate.

Neither the noun or verb occurs in everyday speech now, but we recognize them – even if they’re mostly reserved for period dramas and Renaissance Festivals.

SURNAME REVEL

Early in the twentieth century, Revel and Revell appear as given names, almost exclusively for boys, in the US data.

Why?

Because Revel occurs as a surname, along with Revell.

It has at least two possible sources:

• It might’ve been given to someone who liked a party or was known for hosting extraordinary feasts.
• There’s at least one Revel on the map in France.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME REVEL?

While not unknown, the baby name Revel qualifies as exceedingly rare. In 2023, 22 boys and 17 girls were given the name.

That’s not exactly Liam or Isabella, but across the ages, Revel has been in use. It’s gained modestly over the last few years.

FAMOUS PEOPLE NAMED REVEL

A few people by the name include:

• As a surname, there’s late twentieth/early twenty-first century French writer and philosopher Jean-François Revel.
• The late British filmmaker Revel Guest came from an aristocratic family. Winston Churchill was a cousin.
• There’s dancer Craig Revel Horwood and writer and museum director J. Revell Carr.

None of these are household names, though swap the V for a B and there’s actress Rebel Wilson – close, but not the same.

Actor Matthew Morrison – of Glee fame – named his son Revel James Makai Morrison in 2017.

STYLISH SOUND

The baby name Revel mixes the modern and innovative with the traditional and the unexpected. Remy meets Evelyn meets Gabriel.

It’s undeniably unisex. And unlike Rebel or Rowdy or Rogue, Revel – at least in twenty-first century English – doesn’t feel like a ticket to the principal’s office for bad behavior.

It might be especially appropriate for a child born around the holidays.

THE NEXT REMY OR ROWAN?

We love a good unisex R name. Just ask Rowan, Remy, Rory, River, or Reese. This name fits right in, a gender-neutral choice that sounds like so many current favorites.

While this name remains far outside the current US Top 1000, it could fit in nicely with current trends, an upbeat name that sounds joyful and interesting.

What do you think of the baby name Revel?

First published on December 5, 2017, this post was revised on May 20, 2024.