2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cargil
A Scottish surname derived from a territorial name of unknown origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Cargil. 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 Cargil 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 Cargil 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 Cargil, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (10.9%) and Black (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cargil
The surname Cargil is believed to have originated in Scotland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "carghil," which means "rough ground" or "rocky area." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived in a rugged or mountainous region of Scotland.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a person named "Willelmo de Cargyl" is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the surname over time.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various historical records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. One notable individual from this period was John Cargill, a prominent Scottish Covenanter and field preacher who lived from 1619 to 1681.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name was sometimes associated with place names like Cargill in Perthshire, Scotland. This village likely took its name from the same Gaelic root as the surname, indicating a connection between the two.
Another notable figure from this era was Donald Cargill (1619-1681), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and Covenanter who was executed for his opposition to the Scottish government's religious policies. He is remembered as one of the most influential figures in the Covenanting movement.
As the Cargil surname spread beyond Scotland, it also appeared in various English records, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of the late 17th century. One example is Thomas Cargill, who was listed as a resident of Northumberland in 1674.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name continued to be prominent in Scotland, with individuals like James Cargill (1778-1858), a Scottish minister and author, and John Cargill (1807-1876), a Scottish poet and schoolmaster.
Throughout history, the Cargil surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, ranging from clergy and writers to landowners and tradesmen. While the name's origins can be traced back to Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by Scottish emigrants and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cargil
Among Census respondents with the surname Cargil, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (10.9%) and Black (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cargil 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 Cargil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native10.9% · 12
- Black or African American8.2% · 9
- Two or more races8.2% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cargil
Cargil 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+15 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,768 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-17 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,398 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 4,768 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 16,398 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 Cargil 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 | #133,048 | #149,446 | -12.3% |
| Count | 127 | 110 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cargil bearers went from 127 to 110 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 16,398 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #149,446.
FAQ
Cargil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cargil?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Cargil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Cargil?
Cargil 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 Cargil. 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 Cargil.
Has Cargil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cargil went from 127 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Cargil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cargil, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (10.9%) and Black (8.2%). 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 Cargil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cargil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (10.9%), Black (8.2%). 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 Cargil (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 Cargil mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a territorial name of unknown origin. 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 Cargil (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 Americans have the surname Cargil?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.