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

Curl, 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 Curl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Curl in America

Curl is the 6379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Curl surname appeared 5,335 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Curl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Curl 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.

The history of the last name Curl

The surname Curl is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cyrl" or "crull," which means "curl" or "twisted lock of hair." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname or occupation for someone who had curly hair or was involved in the production of curled items, such as wigs or ropes.

The earliest known records of the surname Curl can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Oxfordshire. In the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, there is a mention of a man named Adam Crull, which is one of the earliest documented instances of the name.

The Curl surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Although the spelling variations differ, entries such as "Crul" and "Crull" suggest the presence of the name during the Norman period.

Curl as a place name can be found in several locations across England, such as Curl in Cumbria and Curl's Ash in Somerset. These place names may have contributed to the development of the surname or vice versa, as people were often identified by the place they were from or lived.

Some notable individuals who bore the surname Curl throughout history include:

1. Edward Curl (c. 1555-1636), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Salisbury in 1628.
2. William Curl (1768-1832), a British naval officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
3. John Curl (1835-1906), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the mid-19th century.
4. Henry Curl (1862-1950), an Australian politician and member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1908 to 1917.
5. David Curl (1947-2020), an American author and journalist known for his writing on environmental issues and outdoor adventure.

While the surname Curl is not among the most common surnames in the English-speaking world, it has maintained its presence throughout the centuries, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields, from politics and sports to literature and journalism.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Curl

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

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 Curl was:

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 Curl has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Curl was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!