2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cael
A Scottish surname derived from a Gaelic personal name meaning "slender" or "thin".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Cael. 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 Cael 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 Cael 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 Cael, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cael
The surname CAEL has its origins in the Gaelic language, with roots tracing back to Ireland. The name is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
One of the earliest known references to the CAEL surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The chronicle mentions a notable individual named Tadhg Cael, who lived in the 14th century and was a member of the Uí Briúin Bréifne dynasty.
The name CAEL is derived from the Gaelic word "caol," which means "slender" or "thin." It is likely that the surname was originally a descriptive nickname given to someone with a slender or thin physique. Variations of the spelling include Cail, Caill, and Keale.
In the 16th century, records indicate the presence of the CAEL surname in County Donegal, particularly in the Barony of Raphoe. A notable figure from this time period was Terence Cael, a landowner and chieftain who lived in the late 1500s.
During the 17th century, the CAEL surname spread to other parts of Ireland, including County Galway and County Mayo. One prominent individual was Séamus Cael, a poet and scholar who was born in County Galway in the late 1600s.
In the 18th century, the CAEL surname also appeared in Scotland, likely due to Irish migration and settlement. A notable Scottish bearer of the name was Alasdair Cael, a soldier who fought in the Jacobite Risings of the early 1700s.
Other notable individuals with the CAEL surname include:
1. Máire Cael (1892-1975), an Irish writer and poet from County Mayo.
2. Seán Cael (1910-1987), an Irish Republican and member of the Irish Volunteers during the Irish War of Independence.
3. Eoin Cael (1927-2002), an Irish linguist and scholar of the Gaelic languages, born in County Donegal.
4. Siobhán Cael (1942-2015), an Irish actress and playwright, known for her work in Irish-language theater.
5. Ciarán Cael (born 1976), a contemporary Irish author and journalist from County Galway.
While the CAEL surname has its roots in Ireland and Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to immigration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cael
Among Census respondents with the surname Cael, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cael 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 Cael surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.9% · 67
- Black or African American16.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.8% · 13
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cael
Cael 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+12 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,560 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 2,560 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,218 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 Cael 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 | #139,228 | #149,446 | -7.3% |
| Count | 120 | 110 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cael bearers went from 120 to 110 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #149,446.
FAQ
Cael surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cael?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Cael. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Cael?
Cael 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 Cael. 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 Cael.
Has Cael become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cael went from 120 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Cael?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cael, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%). 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 Cael in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.9% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cael appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.9%), Black (16.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.8%). 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 Cael (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 Cael mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a Gaelic personal name meaning "slender" or "thin". 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 Cael (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 are called Cael?
You can see how common the surname Cael is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.