Haskell is an uncommon, gender-neutral given name of Scottish origin. It is derived from the Old Norse personal name "Háskuldr," which consists of two elements: "hár" meaning "high" and "skuldr" signifying "shields." Thus, Haskell means "proud shields" or "renowned protector." This name gained notable recognition through the character Haskel derringer in L. Frank Baum's series "The Oz Books," published between 1900 and 1920. However, it is not extensively used as a given name, making those who bear it quite distinctive.
The name Haskel experienced significant popularity from 1907 to 1931, with a consistent rise in births each year until it peaked at 40 births in 1924. However, after 1931, the number of births began to decline sharply and consistently, reaching as low as 5 births per year by 1978, where it has remained relatively stable until at least 2001. Overall, there were a total of 1160 births named Haskel during this period.