2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gazal
A surname meaning "deer" of Arabic or Turkish origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Gazal. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gazal 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Gazal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gazal, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gazal
The surname Gazal is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, likely in the region now known as Pakistan. The name is derived from the Persian word "ghazaal," which means "gazelle." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who possessed certain physical or personality traits reminiscent of a gazelle, such as gracefulness or swiftness.
One of the earliest records of the name Gazal can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century Persian manuscript commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The text mentions a warrior named Mirza Muhammad Gazal who fought in the emperor's army. Unfortunately, there are no specific details about his life or accomplishments beyond this brief reference.
During the Mughal era, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th century, the name Gazal gained popularity among Muslim families in the region. It is likely that the name spread to other parts of the Indian subcontinent through trade and migration.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib Gazal gained fame as a renowned Urdu and Persian poet. Born in 1797 in Agra, India, Ghalib is considered one of the most influential literary figures in the Urdu language. His poetry, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition, is widely studied and celebrated to this day.
Another notable individual with the surname Gazal was Khawaja Muhammad Baqi Billah Gazal, a Sufi scholar and poet who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Jaunpur, India, and is known for his contributions to the Qadri order of Sufism.
In more recent history, Masood Gazal was a Pakistani cricketer who played for the national team in the 1970s and 1980s. He was born in 1950 in Lahore and is remembered for his impressive batting performances in Test and One Day International matches.
While the name Gazal has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the Persian language and its connection to the graceful gazelle, a symbol that has carried through the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gazal
Among Census respondents with the surname Gazal, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gazal 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 Gazal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.4% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.5% · 10
- Black or African American7.7% · 9
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gazal
Gazal 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+12 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,637 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 10,637 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 Gazal 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 | #154,907 | #144,270 | 6.9% |
| Count | 105 | 117 | 11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gazal bearers went from 105 to 117 (+11.4% change). The surname moved up 10,637 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #144,270.
FAQ
Gazal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gazal?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Gazal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Gazal?
Gazal ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Gazal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Gazal.
Has Gazal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gazal went from 105 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 12 (+11.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gazal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gazal, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%). 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 Gazal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gazal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.4%), Hispanic (10.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%). 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 Gazal (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 Gazal mean?
A surname meaning "deer" of Arabic or Turkish 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 Gazal (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 Gazal?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Gazal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.