2000
#70,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 259
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Aill
Derived from the Gaelic "ail," meaning a rock, stone, or boulder, likely referring to someone who lived near a prominent rock formation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Aill. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aill surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Aill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aill, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.4%. The next largest groups are Black (34.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aill
The surname AILL has its origins in the Middle English period, derived from the Old French word 'ail', meaning garlic. It is thought to have originated in Normandy, France, where it may have been an occupational surname for a garlic seller or grower.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Ail'. This suggests that the name had already established itself in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the medieval period, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Aile, Ayll, and Aille. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the scribes who recorded them.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir William Aill, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I during the Welsh Wars. He was born around 1260 and died in 1312.
Another historical figure with the surname AILL was John Aill, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the 15th century. He was born in 1410 and passed away in 1482.
In the 16th century, the name AILL was associated with several place names, such as Aill's Green in Hertfordshire and Aill's Farm in Kent. These places may have been named after individuals bearing the surname or could have influenced the development of the name itself.
During the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Richard Aill, a Puritan minister and author from Hertfordshire. He was born in 1611 and died in 1677.
In the 18th century, the name AILL appeared in various records, including those of Thomas Aill, a merchant and landowner from Essex, born in 1720 and died in 1792.
The 19th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals with the surname AILL, including Sir James Aill, a Scottish politician and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1856 to 1858. He was born in 1813 and died in 1879.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aill
Among Census respondents with the surname Aill, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.4%. The next largest groups are Black (34.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Aill bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Aill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.4% · 62
- Black or African American34.5% · 38
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aill
Aill appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-143 bearers (-55.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 72,676 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-6 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,297 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #70,473 | 259 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -143 bearers (-55.2%) | Down 72,676 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 6,297 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Aill surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #143,149 | #149,446 | -4.4% |
| Count | 116 | 110 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aill bearers went from 116 to 110 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 6,297 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #149,446.
FAQ
Aill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aill?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Aill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Aill?
Aill ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Aill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aill.
Has Aill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aill went from 116 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Aill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aill, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.4%. The next largest groups are Black (34.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.4% (62 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.4%), Black (34.5%), Hispanic (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Aill (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Aill mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "ail," meaning a rock, stone, or boulder, likely referring to someone who lived near a prominent rock formation. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Aill (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Aill?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.