2000
#12,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,372
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Rall
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements rad, meaning "counsel," and wolf, meaning "wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,049 Americans carry the last name Rall. That puts it at #15,731 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,279 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rall 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 167,279
Census rank
#15,731
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,787 bearers of the surname Rall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15731st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rall, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rall
The surname Rall has its origins in Germany, first appearing in records from the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "rolle," meaning "roller" or "cylinder," suggesting an occupational name for someone who worked with rolls or cylinders, perhaps a baker or miller.
The earliest recorded mention of the Rall surname can be found in church records from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the northern Bavaria region of Germany. In 1567, a Hans Rall was listed as a resident of the town, indicating the name's presence in that region during the late 16th century.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Rall name continued to be found in various German towns and villages, with some notable individuals emerging. In 1683, Johann Georg Rall was born in Hesse, Germany, and later became a highly respected Lutheran theologian and rector of the University of Giessen.
As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Rahl, Rahl, and Rall. In the late 18th century, a Johann Rall (1732-1776) from Hesse served as a Hessian officer in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War, gaining recognition for his role in the Battle of Trenton in 1776.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Rall (1803-1878), a German painter and lithographer from Nuremberg, renowned for his landscapes and city views. His works can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
In the 19th century, a Prussian military officer named Gustav von Rall (1823-1897) distinguished himself during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, earning him the prestigious Pour le Mérite military order.
As German immigration to the United States and other parts of the world increased in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Rall surname spread to new regions, with several individuals making significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rall
Among Census respondents with the surname Rall, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rall 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 Rall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 1,567
- Black or African American3.5% · 63
- Two or more races3.2% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rall
Rall 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
#11,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,720
+348 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 515 places
2020
#15,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,787
-933 bearers (-34.3%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 4,176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,070 | 2,372 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,555 | 2,720 | 0.92 | +348 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 515 places |
| 2020 | #15,731 | 1,787 | 0.60 | -933 bearers (-34.3%) | Down 4,176 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 Rall 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 | #11,555 | #15,731 | -36.1% |
| Count | 2,720 | 1,787 | -34.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.60 | -35.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rall bearers went from 2,720 to 1,787 (-34.3% change). The surname moved down 4,176 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,555 to #15,731.
FAQ
Rall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rall?
Name Census estimates that about 2,049 living Americans carry the surname Rall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,279 residents.
How common is Rall?
Rall ranks #15,731 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,787 people with the surname Rall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Rall.
Has Rall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rall went from 2,720 recorded bearers to 1,787. That is a decrease of 933 (-34.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,555 to #15,731.
What does the Census say about the background of Rall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rall, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Rall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (1,567 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Rall (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 Rall mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements rad, meaning "counsel," and wolf, meaning "wolf." 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 Rall (0.60 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 Rall?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rall on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.