2000
#88,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Attal
A surname derived from the Arabic word 'attal', meaning 'maker of shawls'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 337 Americans carry the last name Attal. That puts it at #71,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,017,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Attal 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
337
1 in 1,017,075
Census rank
#71,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
294
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 294 bearers of the surname Attal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 71480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Attal, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Attal
The surname Attal originated in the Punjab region of northern India and Pakistan, where it was first recorded in the early 16th century. It is believed to derive from the Sanskrit word "attal," meaning "impregnable" or "invincible." This likely referred to a person of strong character or a fortress in the region.
One of the earliest known records of the Attal name appears in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar. It mentions an individual named Malik Attal serving as a military commander under Akbar's rule. This suggests the name may have been associated with warriors or nobility during that time.
In the late 16th century, a prominent figure named Attal Khan emerged as a prominent military leader and governor in the region of Attock, which may have been named after him or from which he took his surname.
By the 17th century, the Attal name had spread to other parts of South Asia, including present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 1638, a manuscript known as the Padshahnama recorded the birth of a son named Attal to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
During the 18th century, the Attal surname appeared in various historical records, including the court chronicles of the Maratha Empire in western India. One notable figure was Raghunath Attal, a military commander who served under the Peshwa rulers.
In the 19th century, the Attal name gained recognition in the field of literature and poetry. Mauj Attal, born in 1826 in Punjab, was a celebrated Sufi poet and mystic whose works were widely read and influential in the region.
Moving into the 20th century, Sardar Attar Singh Attal, born in 1892, was a prominent political leader and advocate for Indian independence. He served as a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly and played a significant role in the struggle against British colonial rule.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Attal
Among Census respondents with the surname Attal, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Attal 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 Attal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.1% · 212
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.4% · 57
- Two or more races5.1% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Attal
Attal 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
#73,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 265
+71 bearers (+36.6%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 15,610 places
2020
#71,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 294
+29 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 1,735 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,825 | 194 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,215 | 265 | 0.09 | +71 bearers (+36.6%) | Up 15,610 places |
| 2020 | #71,480 | 294 | 0.10 | +29 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 1,735 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 Attal 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 | #73,215 | #71,480 | 2.4% |
| Count | 265 | 294 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Attal bearers went from 265 to 294 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 1,735 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,215 to #71,480.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Attal
FAQ
Attal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Attal?
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the surname Attal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,017,075 residents.
How common is Attal?
Attal ranks #71,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 294 people with the surname Attal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (337), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Attal.
Has Attal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Attal went from 265 recorded bearers to 294. That is an increase of 29 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #73,215 to #71,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Attal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Attal, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Attal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (212 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Attal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.4%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Attal (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 Attal mean?
A surname derived from the Arabic word 'attal', meaning 'maker of shawls'. 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 Attal (0.10 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 Attal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.