2000
#11,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,621
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Randell
English occupational surname for a worker who made or repaired rims for wagon wheels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,956 Americans carry the last name Randell. That puts it at #11,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Randell 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 Randell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,952
Census rank
#11,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,578 bearers of the surname Randell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Randell, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Randell
The surname Randell originates from England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "rand" or "rond," meaning a path or a border, and "hyll," meaning a hill. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a boundary or borderland on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Randulfus" and "Randulf." This version was a Norman form of the name, brought to England by the invading Normans in the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name evolved into spellings like "Randhyll" and "Randle," which were used interchangeably with "Randell" in various regions of England. Some early examples of the name include John Randell, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, and William Randell, recorded in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1428.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname Randell throughout history. Sir Thomas Randolph (c. 1285-1332) was a Scottish diplomat and military leader who played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Robert Randell (c. 1570-1640) was an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
Another notable figure was John Randell (c. 1610-1691), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Guildford in the 1640s. Thomas Randell (c. 1640-1712) was an English merchant and benefactor who founded the Randell Free School in Tiverton, Devon, in 1710.
Finally, Sir George Randell (1801-1882) was a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and led several expeditions to the Arctic regions, contributing to the mapping and exploration of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
The surname Randell has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Randall, Randle, Randle, Randle, and Randyll, among others. It has also given rise to place names like Randall, a village in Gloucestershire, and Randalstown, a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Randell
Among Census respondents with the surname Randell, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Randell 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 Randell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.0% · 1,623
- Black or African American25.8% · 665
- Two or more races5.1% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Randell
Randell 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
#11,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,797
+176 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#11,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,578
-219 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 348 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,113 | 2,621 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,293 | 2,797 | 0.95 | +176 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #11,641 | 2,578 | 0.86 | -219 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 348 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 Randell 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 | #11,293 | #11,641 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,797 | 2,578 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.86 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Randell bearers went from 2,797 to 2,578 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 348 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,293 to #11,641.
FAQ
Randell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Randell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,956 living Americans carry the surname Randell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,952 residents.
How common is Randell?
Randell ranks #11,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,578 people with the surname Randell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,956), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Randell.
Has Randell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Randell went from 2,797 recorded bearers to 2,578. That is a decrease of 219 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,293 to #11,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Randell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Randell, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Randell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.0% (1,623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Randell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.0%), Black (25.8%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Randell (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 Randell mean?
English occupational surname for a worker who made or repaired rims for wagon wheels. 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 Randell (0.86 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 Randell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.