2010
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rangal
A surname derived from a place name or location in India.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Rangal. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rangal 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Rangal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rangal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rangal
The surname RANGAL is believed to have originated in India, specifically in the state of Tamil Nadu, where it was likely derived from the Tamil word "rangam," meaning a stage or arena. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals involved in the performing arts or theatrical traditions of the region.
In the early 19th century, records indicate the presence of individuals bearing the surname RANGAL in the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu, particularly in the areas around Madras (now Chennai) and Pondicherry. It is possible that the name may have evolved from an earlier spelling or variation, such as "Rangayyan" or "Rangaiyar."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname RANGAL can be found in the writings of the renowned Tamil scholar and poet, U. V. Swaminatha Iyer (1855-1942), who mentioned a RANGAL family from the town of Kanchipuram in his literary works.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, several notable figures bearing the RANGAL surname left their mark in various fields. Among them were:
1. C. S. RANGAL (1873-1942), a prominent lawyer and political activist who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.
2. R. RANGAL Naidu (1886-1968), a respected educator and social reformer who established several schools in Tamil Nadu.
3. P. V. RANGAL (1901-1979), a celebrated Tamil writer and journalist known for his contributions to Tamil literature and journalism.
4. K. RANGAL Rao (1912-1988), a distinguished mathematician and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras.
5. V. RANGAL Iyengar (1920-2002), a renowned classical dancer and choreographer credited with popularizing the Bharatanatyam dance form globally.
While the surname RANGAL may have originated from a specific region in Tamil Nadu, over time, it has been adopted by individuals across various parts of India, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic landscape of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rangal
Among Census respondents with the surname Rangal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rangal 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 Rangal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.4% · 104
- White5.9% · 7
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rangal
Rangal appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,582 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 Rangal 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 | #132,206 | #142,788 | -8.0% |
| Count | 128 | 119 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rangal bearers went from 128 to 119 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,582 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #142,788.
FAQ
Rangal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rangal?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Rangal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Rangal?
Rangal ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Rangal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rangal.
Has Rangal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rangal went from 128 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Rangal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rangal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Black (2.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rangal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rangal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.4%), White (5.9%), Black (2.5%). 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 Rangal (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 Rangal mean?
A surname derived from a place name or location in India. 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 Rangal (0.04 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 Rangal?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rangal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.