2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Odonal
A surname likely of Irish origin referring to someone from Donegal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Odonal. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Odonal 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Odonal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Odonal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Odonal
The surname ODONAL has its origins in Ireland, with the first recorded instances dating back to the 9th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "O'Domhnaill," which translate to "descendant of Domhnall," a personal name that means "world ruler" or "world mighty."
During the medieval period, the name was primarily associated with the O'Donnell clan, a powerful family from County Donegal in Ulster Province, Ireland. The O'Donnells were renowned for their military prowess and played a significant role in Irish history, particularly during the Irish Confederate Wars of the 17th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ODONAL can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention Áed Ua Domnaill, King of Ailech, who ruled in the late 8th century. Additionally, the name appears in the Book of Leinster, a 12th-century manuscript containing various Irish texts and genealogies.
In the 14th century, Niall Óg Ó Domhnaill, born around 1290, was a notable figure who served as the King of Tír Chonaill (County Donegal) and played a significant role in the Irish Bruce Wars against the English. Another prominent bearer of the name was Calvagh O'Donnell (c. 1510-1555), who was the last inaugurated Chief of the O'Donnell clan and a key figure in the Nine Years' War against English rule.
Other notable individuals with the surname ODONAL include Hugh Roe O'Donnell (c. 1572-1602), an Irish chieftain and one of the leaders of the Irish forces during the Nine Years' War, and Red Hugh O'Donnell (1572-1602), his brother and a renowned military commander who fought against English colonization efforts in Ireland.
Over time, the surname ODONAL has undergone various spelling variations, such as O'Donnell, O'Donell, and O'Donal, reflecting regional dialects and anglicization. While the name retains its strongest roots in Ireland, particularly in Ulster and County Donegal, it has since spread to other parts of the world through Irish emigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Odonal
Among Census respondents with the surname Odonal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Odonal 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 Odonal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 98
- Black or African American6.4% · 7
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Odonal
Odonal 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,382 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,004 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 3,382 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,004 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 Odonal 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 | #146,201 | #150,205 | -2.7% |
| Count | 113 | 109 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Odonal bearers went from 113 to 109 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,004 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,205.
FAQ
Odonal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Odonal?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Odonal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Odonal?
Odonal ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Odonal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Odonal.
Has Odonal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Odonal went from 113 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Odonal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Odonal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Odonal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Odonal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Black (6.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Odonal (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 Odonal mean?
A surname likely of Irish origin referring to someone from Donegal. 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 Odonal (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 have the last name Odonal?
See how common the surname Odonal is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.