2000
#2,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.51
Uncommon Last name
Ragland
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "land on the border" or "rugged land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,738 Americans carry the last name Ragland. That puts it at #2,937 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ragland 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
14K
1 in 24,949
Census rank
#2,937
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,980 bearers of the surname Ragland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2937th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ragland, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Black (43.0%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ragland
The surname Ragland is of English origin and is thought to have originated in the 14th century. It is a locational name derived from a place called Ragland or Racland, which is believed to have been located in the county of Worcestershire.
The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ræcc" meaning "rake" or "bar", and "land" meaning "land" or "territory". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on or near a piece of land that was marked or identified by a rake or bar.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a Robert de Raggelond. This suggests that the name was already in use and established by the early 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name was also found in the parish records of Stourbridge, Worcestershire, where a John Ragland was recorded in 1560. This further reinforces the connection between the name and the Worcestershire region.
Over the centuries, the name has been spelled in various ways, including Raggelond, Raglande, Raglond, and Ragland. These variations likely reflect the different ways the name was pronounced and recorded by scribes and record keepers.
One notable bearer of the Ragland surname was Sir Richard Ragland (1540-1597), an English military commander who served under Queen Elizabeth I during the Anglo-Spanish War. He played a significant role in the English victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Another historical figure with the Ragland surname was Sir Thomas Ragland (1597-1679), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, John Ragland (1732-1786) was a notable American settler and pioneer who helped establish the community of Ragland's Station, which later became part of present-day Kentucky.
In the 19th century, James Ragland (1825-1899) was a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War and later became a prominent farmer and businessman in North Carolina.
One of the most famous bearers of the Ragland surname in modern times was Samuel Ragland (1923-2010), an American civil rights activist and educator who played a significant role in the desegregation of schools in Virginia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ragland
Among Census respondents with the surname Ragland, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Black (43.0%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ragland 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 Ragland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.1% · 5,641
- Black or African American43.0% · 5,148
- Two or more races5.5% · 656
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 385
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ragland
Ragland 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
#2,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,816
+657 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 4.34
Rank movement Down 96 places
2020
#2,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,980
-836 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 4.01
Rank movement Down 122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,719 | 12,159 | 4.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,815 | 12,816 | 4.34 | +657 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 96 places |
| 2020 | #2,937 | 11,980 | 4.01 | -836 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 122 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 Ragland 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 | #2,815 | #2,937 | -4.3% |
| Count | 12,816 | 11,980 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.34 | 4.01 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ragland bearers went from 12,816 to 11,980 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 122 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,815 to #2,937.
FAQ
Ragland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ragland?
Name Census estimates that about 13,738 living Americans carry the surname Ragland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,949 residents.
How common is Ragland?
Ragland ranks #2,937 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,980 people with the surname Ragland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,738), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Ragland.
Has Ragland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ragland went from 12,816 recorded bearers to 11,980. That is a decrease of 836 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,815 to #2,937.
What does the Census say about the background of Ragland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ragland, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Black (43.0%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Ragland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.1% (5,641 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ragland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.1%), Black (43.0%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Ragland (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 Ragland mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "land on the border" or "rugged land." 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 Ragland (4.01 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 common is the surname Ragland?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Ragland, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.