2000
#11,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,582
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Herrell
Derived from a French place name, likely referring to someone from Airel, in Normandy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,975 Americans carry the last name Herrell. That puts it at #11,591 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,212 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herrell 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
3.0K
1 in 115,212
Census rank
#11,591
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,594 bearers of the surname Herrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11591st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herrell
The surname Herrell has its origins in England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "herer" and "ald," meaning "army" and "old" respectively. The name likely referred to someone who was formerly in the army or had military experience.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mentions a Robert Herald. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list a John Herewald in Cambridgeshire. These early spellings show the evolution of the surname from its Old English roots.
In the 13th century, the name Herrell appeared in various forms, such as Herevill and Herewell, in regions like Oxfordshire and Berkshire. These variations likely stemmed from the name's association with specific places or settlements.
The Herrell surname may have connections to the village of Harwell in Berkshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Herewelle." This suggests a potential link between the name and this particular location.
Notable individuals bearing the Herrell surname include Thomas Herrell (c. 1530-1597), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works. Another prominent figure was Sir John Herrell (1585-1658), a member of Parliament and landowner in Gloucestershire.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the marriage of William Herrell and Mary Atkins in 1685 in Gloucestershire. The Herrell family also had ties to Warwickshire, with John Herrell (1720-1785) being a notable landowner and farmer in the region.
As the name spread across England, different branches of the Herrell family emerged. One notable example is the Hertfordshire line, where Robert Herrell (1755-1824) was a prominent local figure and served as a magistrate.
Throughout its history, the Herrell surname has maintained a strong presence in various parts of England, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields, including religion, politics, and agriculture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Herrell 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 Herrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 2,220
- Black or African American5.7% · 148
- Two or more races4.4% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herrell
Herrell 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
#11,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,723
+141 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 298 places
2020
#11,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,594
-129 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,245 | 2,582 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,543 | 2,723 | 0.92 | +141 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 298 places |
| 2020 | #11,591 | 2,594 | 0.87 | -129 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 48 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 Herrell 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 | #11,543 | #11,591 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,723 | 2,594 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.87 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herrell bearers went from 2,723 to 2,594 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,543 to #11,591.
FAQ
Herrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herrell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,975 living Americans carry the surname Herrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,212 residents.
How common is Herrell?
Herrell ranks #11,591 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,594 people with the surname Herrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,975), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Herrell.
Has Herrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herrell went from 2,723 recorded bearers to 2,594. That is a decrease of 129 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,543 to #11,591.
What does the Census say about the background of Herrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Herrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (2,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Herrell (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 Herrell mean?
Derived from a French place name, likely referring to someone from Airel, in Normandy. 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 Herrell (0.87 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 Herrell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.