2000
#7,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,877
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Caddell
An Irish occupational surname referring to a person who built stone walls or fortifications.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,096 Americans carry the last name Caddell. That puts it at #8,812 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caddell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Caddell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,680
Census rank
#8,812
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,572 bearers of the surname Caddell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8812th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caddell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caddell
The surname CADDELL is of Welsh origin, deriving from the Welsh word "caddell" which means "battle" or "conflict". This name likely originated in Wales during the medieval period, when surnames first came into use.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname CADDELL can be found in historical records and documents from Wales dating back to the 16th century. One notable example is a reference to a Thomas Caddell in the parish records of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, in 1587.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the CADDELL surname spread beyond Wales, with some bearers of the name settling in other parts of Britain, as well as in Ireland. The variant spelling "CADELL" also emerged during this time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the CADDELL surname was Evan Caddell, a Welsh soldier who fought in the English Civil War (1642-1651). He is mentioned in historical accounts of the siege of Pembroke Castle in 1648.
Another notable figure was John Caddell (1680-1735), a Welsh clergyman who served as the rector of Llanelli and was known for his scholarly works on Welsh history and literature.
In the 19th century, the surname CADDELL began to appear in records from North America, as Welsh and Irish immigrants bearing the name settled in various parts of the United States and Canada. One such individual was James Caddell (1810-1879), a Welsh-born American farmer who settled in Ohio and later fought in the American Civil War.
Other notable individuals with the CADDELL surname include:
1. William Cadell (1775-1838), a Scottish publisher and bookseller who co-founded the prestigious Constable and Cadell publishing firm in Edinburgh.
2. Jane Cadell (1837-1919), a Scottish novelist and author of several popular historical romances.
3. Henry Moubray Cadell (1860-1934), a Scottish geologist and explorer who conducted extensive surveys in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.
4. Patrick Cadell (1912-1997), a British-born Canadian actor and playwright who co-founded the prestigious Stratford Festival in Ontario.
5. William Caddell (born 1944), a renowned Scottish poet and academic, known for his works exploring Scottish culture and identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caddell
Among Census respondents with the surname Caddell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Caddell 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 Caddell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 2,723
- Black or African American15.1% · 540
- Two or more races4.6% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caddell
Caddell 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
#8,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,818
-59 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 700 places
2020
#8,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,572
-246 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,917 | 3,877 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,617 | 3,818 | 1.29 | -59 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 700 places |
| 2020 | #8,812 | 3,572 | 1.20 | -246 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 195 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 Caddell 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 | #8,617 | #8,812 | -2.3% |
| Count | 3,818 | 3,572 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.20 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caddell bearers went from 3,818 to 3,572 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 195 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,617 to #8,812.
FAQ
Caddell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caddell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,096 living Americans carry the surname Caddell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,680 residents.
How common is Caddell?
Caddell ranks #8,812 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,572 people with the surname Caddell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,096), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Caddell.
Has Caddell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caddell went from 3,818 recorded bearers to 3,572. That is a decrease of 246 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,617 to #8,812.
What does the Census say about the background of Caddell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caddell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Caddell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (2,723 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caddell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (15.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Caddell (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 Caddell mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a person who built stone walls or fortifications. 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 Caddell (1.20 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 are called Caddell?
See how common the surname Caddell is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.