2000
#9,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Rachal
French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "canebrake" or a location overgrown with reeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,526 Americans carry the last name Rachal. That puts it at #10,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,208 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rachal 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
3.5K
1 in 97,208
Census rank
#10,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,075 bearers of the surname Rachal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rachal, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.9%. The next largest groups are Black (29.3%) and Two or More Races (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rachal
The surname Rachal has its origins in the Middle English language, derived from the Old French word "rachael" or "rachel," which means "ewe" or "female sheep." This surname likely arose in the late 12th or early 13th century in northern France or England, where it may have been an occupational name for a shepherd or someone who worked with sheep.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rachal can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1230, where a certain William Rachal is mentioned. These rolls were financial records kept by the English government during the reign of King Henry III.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Rachell, Rachelle, and Rachael, in various English and French records. One notable bearer of the name was John Rachal, a merchant from London who is mentioned in the city's records from 1381.
During the 16th century, the surname Rachal began to spread to other parts of Europe, including Scotland and Ireland. In Scotland, the name was sometimes anglicized to the spelling "Rachel," as seen in the case of Robert Rachel, a landowner in Aberdeenshire who is mentioned in records from 1567.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rachal surname in Ireland dates back to 1624, when a certain Patrick Rachal is mentioned in the Fiants of the County of Longford. The Fiants were legal records that documented the granting of land and other privileges by the English Crown in Ireland.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable individuals bore the surname Rachal. These include William Rachal (1635-1712), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works, and Mary Rachal (1678-1744), a prominent Scottish painter known for her portraits and landscapes.
Throughout history, the surname Rachal has been associated with various occupations and professions, including agriculture, commerce, religion, and the arts. While the name has retained its distinct spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, it has also been subject to various regional variations and adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rachal
Among Census respondents with the surname Rachal, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.9%. The next largest groups are Black (29.3%) and Two or More Races (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rachal 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 Rachal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.9% · 1,688
- Black or African American29.3% · 902
- Two or more races7.2% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 186
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rachal
Rachal 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
#9,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,346
+234 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#10,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,075
-271 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,583 | 3,112 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,695 | 3,346 | 1.13 | +234 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #10,006 | 3,075 | 1.03 | -271 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 311 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 Rachal 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 | #9,695 | #10,006 | -3.2% |
| Count | 3,346 | 3,075 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.03 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rachal bearers went from 3,346 to 3,075 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 311 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,695 to #10,006.
FAQ
Rachal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rachal?
Name Census estimates that about 3,526 living Americans carry the surname Rachal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,208 residents.
How common is Rachal?
Rachal ranks #10,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,075 people with the surname Rachal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,526), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rachal.
Has Rachal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rachal went from 3,346 recorded bearers to 3,075. That is a decrease of 271 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,695 to #10,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Rachal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rachal, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.9%. The next largest groups are Black (29.3%) and Two or More Races (7.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rachal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.9% (1,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rachal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.9%), Black (29.3%), Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Rachal (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 Rachal mean?
French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "canebrake" or a location overgrown with reeds. 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 Rachal (1.03 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 Rachal?
Want to know how many people have the surname Rachal? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.