2000
#1,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.47
Uncommon Last name
Odell
From the Old English elements "wad," meaning woad (a plant), and "hyll," meaning hill, likely referring to a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,692 Americans carry the last name Odell. That puts it at #1,180 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,173 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Odell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Odell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,173
Census rank
#1,180
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,381 bearers of the surname Odell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1180th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Odell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Odell
The surname Odell has its origins in England, dating back to the late 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "od" meaning wealth or prosperity, and "hyll" meaning hill or ridge. The name likely originated from a place called Odell or Odel in the county of Bedfordshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Odo de Odell who held lands in Bedfordshire. This suggests that the Odell surname was already established by the time of the Norman Conquest.
Over the centuries, various spellings of the name have been used, including Odell, Odill, Odyll, and Odel. The earliest known record of the modern spelling "Odell" dates back to 1199, when a person named Robert de Odell was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire.
The surname Odell has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Odell (c. 1350-1414), a English knight who served under King Richard II and later fought in the Battle of Shrewsbury during the Wars of the Roses.
Another prominent figure was Jonas Odell (1619-1692), one of the founders of the town of Fairfield, Connecticut. He emigrated from England to the New World in the 17th century and played a significant role in the early settlement of the colony.
In the 18th century, Thomas Odell (1691-1749) was a renowned English playwright and poet. He wrote several successful plays, including "The Patron" and "The Grimace," and was known for his satirical style.
During the American Revolutionary War, Jacob Odell (1738-1818) served as a loyalist and was appointed the first Surveyor General of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada, in 1784.
In more recent times, Benjamin Odell (1808-1868) was an American politician who served as the 34th Governor of Florida from 1837 to 1839.
While the Odell surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. The name continues to be borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, each with their own unique story and connection to this ancient surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Odell
Among Census respondents with the surname Odell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Odell 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 Odell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 26,062
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 1,147
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,141
- Black or African American2.1% · 623
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 204
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 204
Timeline
Historical Census data for Odell
Odell 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
#1,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,349
+398 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 10.63
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#1,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,381
-1,968 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 9.83
Rank movement Down 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,034 | 30,951 | 11.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,117 | 31,349 | 10.63 | +398 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #1,180 | 29,381 | 9.83 | -1,968 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 63 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 Odell 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 | #1,117 | #1,180 | -5.6% |
| Count | 31,349 | 29,381 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 10.63 | 9.83 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Odell bearers went from 31,349 to 29,381 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,117 to #1,180.
FAQ
Odell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Odell?
Name Census estimates that about 33,692 living Americans carry the surname Odell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,173 residents.
How common is Odell?
Odell ranks #1,180 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,381 people with the surname Odell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,692), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Odell.
Has Odell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Odell went from 31,349 recorded bearers to 29,381. That is a decrease of 1,968 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,117 to #1,180.
What does the Census say about the background of Odell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Odell, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Odell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (26,062 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Odell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Odell (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 Odell mean?
From the Old English elements "wad," meaning woad (a plant), and "hyll," meaning hill, likely referring to a location. 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 Odell (9.83 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 share the surname Odell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.