Norval is an uncommon, yet distinctly masculine given name of Scottish origin. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic 'Norbald', which means 'great hero'. The name gained popularity in English-speaking countries during the Victorian era due to Sir Walter Scott's 1820 poem 'The Lady of the Lake', where it was used as a character name. Norval is also found in other works by Scott, such as 'Marmion' and 'The Pirate'. Despite its literary roots, Norval has not achieved widespread use as a first name today, making it a unique choice for parents seeking an uncommon yet meaningful name.
Over the span of nearly a century, from 1880 to 1981, the name Norval experienced significant fluctuations in popularity among parents choosing names for their newborns. The earliest years saw between five and nine births per year, with peaks in 1887 (nine births) and 1906 (twelve births). However, beginning around 1912, there was a marked increase in the number of babies named Norval, reaching a peak in 1915 with sixty-one births. This trend continued through the early 1920s, with yearly totals ranging from fifty-eight to seventy-two births.
After the mid-1920s, the popularity of the name Norval began to decline steadily. By the late 1930s and early 1940s, annual births with this name dropped below forty, reaching as low as eighteen in 1949. This downward trend persisted through the mid-1950s, with yearly totals ranging from eleven to thirty births. From the late 1950s onwards, there were consistently fewer than twenty births per year named Norval, with some years seeing only five to nine births.
By the end of this period in 1981, the total number of babies named Norval had reached 2377 over these hundred years. Despite its fluctuating popularity, Norval remains a name with a notable history and presence in naming trends.