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

Johal, 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 Johal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Johal in America

Johal is the 20971st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Johal surname appeared 1,255 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 Johal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Johal 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 Johal

The surname Johal has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the Punjab region of northern India and eastern Pakistan. It is thought to have derived from the ancient Sanskrit word "johar," which means "warrior" or "brave person." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals who displayed valor and bravery in battles or conflicts.

During the medieval period, the Johal surname was prevalent among the Jat community, an agrarian and landowning group found primarily in the Punjab region. The Jats were known for their martial traditions and played a significant role in the region's history, serving as soldiers and warriors in various armies and kingdoms.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Johal name can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document contains records of land grants and revenue assignments, and it lists several individuals with the Johal surname, indicating their presence and influence in the region during that era.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Johal surname gained prominence as members of this community participated in the military campaigns and uprisings against the Mughal Empire and later the British colonial rule in India. Notable figures from this period include Sardar Baghel Singh Johal (1755-1844), a prominent Sikh warrior and chieftain who fought against the Afghan rulers and later joined the forces of Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire.

Another historically significant individual with the Johal surname was Sardar Hari Singh Johal (1822-1865), a military leader and administrator who served as the Governor of Multan under the Sikh Empire. He played a crucial role in the Anglo-Sikh Wars and was eventually exiled to Burma (present-day Myanmar) by the British after the Second Anglo-Sikh War.

In more recent times, the Johal surname has been carried by several prominent individuals, such as Gurdial Singh Johal (1916-2002), a renowned Punjabi writer and novelist who received the Sahitya Akademi Award, India's highest literary honor, in 1988. Additionally, Ajay Johal (born 1974) is a Canadian entrepreneur and business leader who co-founded the Creative Destruction Lab, a seed-stage program for massively scalable science and technology companies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Johal

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

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

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

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