2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Pugal
A surname potentially derived from the Hindi word "pugal" meaning a bundle or sheaf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Pugal. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pugal 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Pugal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pugal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.2%. The next largest groups are White (16.7%) and Hispanic (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pugal
The surname PUGAL is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France, during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "pugle," meaning a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have originally been a locational surname, given to someone who lived near or on a small hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PUGAL can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus Pugal, who held estates in the county of Hampshire.
In the 12th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir William Pugal, a knight who served under King Richard I during the Third Crusade. Sir William is mentioned in several chronicles of the time for his bravery in battle.
During the 14th century, a family with the name PUGAL resided in the village of Pugal, located near the town of Caen in Normandy. This village likely took its name from the surname, further reinforcing the locational origin of the name.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure was John PUGAL (1525-1592), an English merchant and explorer who was among the first Englishmen to establish trade relations with Russia. He is credited with helping to open up the lucrative Russian market to English merchants.
Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas PUGAL (1670-1741), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. George in the East and the original Bethlem Royal Hospital.
Throughout history, the spelling of the name has varied slightly, with examples such as Pugale, Pugalle, and Pugalle appearing in various records and documents. However, the core pronunciation and meaning of the name have remained relatively consistent over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pugal
Among Census respondents with the surname Pugal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.2%. The next largest groups are White (16.7%) and Hispanic (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pugal 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 Pugal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.2% · 78
- White16.7% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 9
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pugal
Pugal appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 7,497 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 Pugal 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 | #158,432 | #150,935 | 4.7% |
| Count | 102 | 108 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pugal bearers went from 102 to 108 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 7,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #150,935.
FAQ
Pugal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pugal?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Pugal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Pugal?
Pugal ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Pugal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Pugal.
Has Pugal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pugal went from 102 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Pugal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pugal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.2%. The next largest groups are White (16.7%) and Hispanic (8.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pugal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pugal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.2%), White (16.7%), Hispanic (8.3%). 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 Pugal (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 Pugal mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Hindi word "pugal" meaning a bundle or sheaf. 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 Pugal (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 are called Pugal?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Pugal, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.