2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gabrail
A patrynomic surname derived from the given name Gabriel, meaning "man of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Gabrail. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gabrail 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Gabrail in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabrail, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gabrail
The surname Gabrail is of Arabic origin, derived from the Hebrew name Gabriel, meaning "God is my strength" or "man of God." It is believed to have originated around the 7th century CE in the Arabian Peninsula, during the early years of the Islamic faith.
The name Gabrail is closely associated with the archangel Gabriel, who is revered in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism as a messenger of God. In Islamic tradition, the archangel Gabriel is believed to have revealed the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gabrail can be found in medieval Arabic manuscripts and genealogical records from regions such as Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia. It is likely that the name was adopted by families with connections to religious scholars or individuals who had a particular devotion to the archangel Gabriel.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Gabrail was Abul Faraj Gabrail ibn al-Qawwas, a 10th-century Coptic Christian scholar and physician from Egypt. He is known for his contributions to the field of medicine and for his writings on various scientific subjects.
In the 12th century, Gabrail ibn Bakhtyashu was a prominent physician and philosopher from Baghdad, who served as the court physician to the Abbasid caliph Al-Muqtadi. He authored several influential works on medicine and philosophy.
During the 13th century, Gabrail al-Qurashi was a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Damascus. He was a prominent figure in the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence and wrote extensively on topics related to Islamic law and theology.
In the 15th century, Gabrail ibn al-Bazzaz was a celebrated poet and calligrapher from Aleppo, Syria. His poetic works and calligraphic pieces were highly regarded and are preserved in various collections.
Another notable figure was Gabrail al-Nahrawani, a 17th-century Maronite Catholic theologian and philosopher from Lebanon. He played a significant role in promoting dialogue between Eastern and Western Christian traditions and wrote several treatises on theological and philosophical subjects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gabrail
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabrail, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gabrail 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 Gabrail surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 113
- Black or African American3.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gabrail
Gabrail appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+3 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 169 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 Gabrail 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 | #141,140 | #141,309 | -0.1% |
| Count | 118 | 121 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gabrail bearers went from 118 to 121 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #141,309.
FAQ
Gabrail surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gabrail?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Gabrail. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Gabrail?
Gabrail ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Gabrail. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Gabrail.
Has Gabrail become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gabrail went from 118 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 3 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Gabrail?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabrail, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Gabrail in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gabrail appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Black (3.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Gabrail (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 Gabrail mean?
A patrynomic surname derived from the given name Gabriel, meaning "man of God." 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 Gabrail (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 Gabrail?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.