2000
#16,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,646
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Randel
A diminutive of Randolf, meaning "shield-wolf," or a variant of Randall, an English place name meaning "rim of the valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,822 Americans carry the last name Randel. That puts it at #17,390 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 188,120 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Randel 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 Randel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 188,120
Census rank
#17,390
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,589 bearers of the surname Randel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17390th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Randel, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Hispanic (8.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Randel
The surname Randel has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "rant," meaning "edge" or "border," and was likely used to describe someone who lived near the edge of a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Randel appears in the Liber Censualis, a medieval census document from the 13th century, which lists a person named Johannes Randel living in the town of Köln (Cologne) in Germany.
In the 14th century, the name Randel was also found in various records in the region of Saxony, Germany. A notable example is the mention of a Henricus Randel in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region, dated to around 1370.
During the 15th century, the Randel name began to spread to other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with Germanic influences. In the Netherlands, for instance, there are records of a family named Randel living in the city of Utrecht in the late 1400s.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Randel name was Johann Randel, a German merchant and trader who lived in the city of Lübeck in the late 15th century (born around 1470, died circa 1535). He is mentioned in several historical documents related to the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe.
In the 16th century, the name Randel was also found in parts of Switzerland, where it is believed to have been derived from the Swiss-German word "Rand," meaning "edge" or "border." One notable example is Hans Randel, a Swiss Protestant reformer and theologian who lived from 1505 to 1571.
Another significant figure bearing the Randel name was Johann Randel, a German composer and organist who lived from 1643 to 1701. He is known for his contributions to the development of the North German organ school and his works for organ and church music.
As the Randel name spread throughout Europe, it also evolved into various spellings and variations, such as Randell, Randall, and Randolph. In England, for instance, the name Randall has been traced back to the 13th century and is believed to have originated from the Old English words "rand" (meaning "border") and "healh" (meaning "nook" or "corner").
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Randall spelling in England is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a person named Robert Randall as a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Randel
Among Census respondents with the surname Randel, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Hispanic (8.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Randel 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 Randel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.0% · 1,192
- Black or African American11.1% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 141
- Two or more races3.5% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Randel
Randel 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
#14,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,149
+503 bearers (+30.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 2,133 places
2020
#17,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,589
-560 bearers (-26.1%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 3,376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,147 | 1,646 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,014 | 2,149 | 0.73 | +503 bearers (+30.6%) | Up 2,133 places |
| 2020 | #17,390 | 1,589 | 0.53 | -560 bearers (-26.1%) | Down 3,376 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 Randel 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 | #14,014 | #17,390 | -24.1% |
| Count | 2,149 | 1,589 | -26.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.53 | -27.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Randel bearers went from 2,149 to 1,589 (-26.1% change). The surname moved down 3,376 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,014 to #17,390.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Randel
FAQ
Randel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Randel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,822 living Americans carry the surname Randel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 188,120 residents.
How common is Randel?
Randel ranks #17,390 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.53 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 1,589 people with the surname Randel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,822), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.53 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 Randel.
Has Randel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Randel went from 2,149 recorded bearers to 1,589. That is a decrease of 560 (-26.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,014 to #17,390.
What does the Census say about the background of Randel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Randel, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Hispanic (8.9%). 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 Randel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.0% (1,192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Randel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.0%), Black (11.1%), Hispanic (8.9%). 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 Randel (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 Randel mean?
A diminutive of Randolf, meaning "shield-wolf," or a variant of Randall, an English place name meaning "rim of the valley." 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 Randel (0.53 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 Randel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.