Cearnal last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Cearnal is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cearnal.

Meaning of Cearnal

A surname derived from the Latin word for "flesh", possibly referring to an occupation related to butchery or meat processing.

Cearnal, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cearnal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cearnal in America

Cearnal is the 149395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cearnal surname appeared 110 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cearnal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cearnal to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank1493951438473.78%
Count1101063.70%
Proportion per 100k0.040.040.00%

The history of the last name Cearnal

The surname CEARNAL has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cearn" and "halh," meaning "rocky valley" or "rocky nook." This suggests that the name may have been used to describe someone who lived near a rocky ravine or a secluded, rocky area.

The earliest recorded mention of the CEARNAL surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. These rolls were a record of financial transactions and payments made to the Crown during the reign of King John. The name is spelled as "Cernehal" in these records, indicating the evolution of the spelling over time.

In the 13th century, the CEARNAL surname is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where it is recorded as "Cernehal." These rolls were a survey of landowners and tenants conducted during the reign of King Edward I. This suggests that the CEARNAL family may have held land or been tenants in the county of Oxfordshire during this period.

One of the earliest known individuals with the CEARNAL surname was Sir William Cearnal, who was born in the village of Cernehale, Oxfordshire, in 1287. He was a prominent landowner and served as a knight in the service of King Edward II. Sir William's descendants continued to use the CEARNAL surname for several generations.

Another notable figure was John Cearnal, born in 1452 in the village of Cernehale, Oxfordshire. He was a scholar and a member of the clergy, serving as a canon at Salisbury Cathedral. John Cearnal was known for his writings on theology and his contributions to the intellectual life of the church during the Renaissance period.

In the 16th century, the CEARNAL surname is recorded in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Cernehale, Oxfordshire. One entry from 1573 mentions the marriage of Thomas Cearnal and Elizabeth Woodley, suggesting that the surname was well-established in the area at that time.

During the 17th century, the CEARNAL family expanded beyond Oxfordshire, with some members settling in other parts of England. One notable individual was Robert Cearnal, born in 1629 in the village of Cernehale. He was a merchant and ship owner who made his fortune in the lucrative trade with the West Indies.

By the 18th century, the spelling of the surname had evolved to its modern form, CEARNAL. One prominent figure from this era was Captain James Cearnal, born in 1712 in the town of Cernehale, Oxfordshire. He was a naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cearnal

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cearnal.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cearnal was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only80.91%89
Non-Hispanic Black Only16.36%18
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cearnal has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White80.91%81.13%-0.27%
Black16.36%18.87%-14.25%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.00%0.00%0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races(S)%0.00%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%0.00%(S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cearnal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cearnal, please contact us.

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