2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Phyall
An English surname derived from a variant spelling of the French surname Vial/Viel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Phyall. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Phyall 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Phyall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Phyall, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Phyall
The surname Phyall has its origins in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "pye" and "hall," referring to a hall or manor house where pies were baked or served. The name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived or worked in such a location.
The earliest known record of the name Phyall appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1170, where it is spelled "Pyehall." This document was a record of financial transactions and accounts kept by the Exchequer of England during the reign of King Henry II.
In the 13th century, the name Phyall appeared in various forms, including "Pyhall" and "Pyghall," in several manorial records and tax rolls from different counties in England. One notable entry is from the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, which lists a Henry Pyhall as a landholder in the village of Watlington.
The Phyall family is believed to have originated from the county of Lincolnshire, where they held lands and properties. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was William Phyall, who was born in the village of Nettleton, Lincolnshire, in 1422.
Another prominent figure was Sir John Phyall, a wealthy merchant and landowner from the city of Bristol in the late 15th century. He served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1489 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the founding of a school for underprivileged children.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Phyall name continued to appear in various records across England. One notable individual was Richard Phyall, a scholar and author born in Warwickshire in 1562. He wrote several treatises on theology and philosophy and was a prominent figure in the academic circles of his time.
In the 18th century, the Phyall family had established branches in different parts of England, including Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Berkshire. One significant individual from this period was Captain Thomas Phyall, a naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Portsmouth in 1742 and gained recognition for his bravery in several naval battles.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Phyall, an artist and painter from London, born in 1787. She was renowned for her portraits and landscapes, and her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts.
As the Phyall name spread across England and beyond, it underwent various spellings and variations, such as Phyell, Pyhall, Pyghall, and Pyhell. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in its association with the old English words for a pie hall or manor house.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Phyall
Among Census respondents with the surname Phyall, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Phyall 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 Phyall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American82.2% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 9
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- White3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Phyall
Phyall 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+10 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,041 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 1,041 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 5,884 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 Phyall 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 | #149,395 | #143,511 | 3.9% |
| Count | 110 | 118 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Phyall bearers went from 110 to 118 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 5,884 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #143,511.
FAQ
Phyall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Phyall?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Phyall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Phyall?
Phyall ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Phyall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Phyall.
Has Phyall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Phyall went from 110 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Phyall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Phyall, the largest self-reported group is Black at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Phyall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Phyall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (82.2%), Hispanic (7.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Phyall (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 Phyall mean?
An English surname derived from a variant spelling of the French surname Vial/Viel. 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 Phyall (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 Americans have the surname Phyall?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.