2000
#750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,868
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.52
Uncommon Last name
Rangel
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the personal name Rancellus, meaning "old" or "wise counselor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 63,939 Americans carry the last name Rangel. That puts it at #589 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rangel 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
64K
1 in 5,361
Census rank
#589
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
56K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 55,758 bearers of the surname Rangel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 589th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rangel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rangel
The surname Rangel has its origins in Portugal, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "rangel," which refers to a person who lived near a stream or brook. The name is also associated with the Portuguese town of Rangel, located in the district of Viseu.
In the 13th century, the name Rangel appeared in several historical documents, including the "Livro de Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a medieval Portuguese genealogical work. This manuscript recorded the lineages of noble families, suggesting that the name Rangel was once used by members of the Portuguese nobility.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Rangel was Rui Rangel, a 14th-century Portuguese nobleman and military leader. He played a significant role in the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta in 1415, during the reign of King John I.
Another notable figure was Pero Rangel, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer and writer. He accompanied the explorer Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in 1497-1499 and wrote a detailed account of the journey, known as the "Relação do Piloto Anónimo" (Account of the Anonymous Pilot).
In the 16th century, the name Rangel was well-established in Spain, likely due to the close cultural and linguistic ties between Spain and Portugal. One prominent Spaniard with this surname was Gaspar Rangel Villafañe (1530-1600), a Franciscan friar and missionary who worked in New Spain (present-day Mexico and parts of the United States).
During the 17th century, the name Rangel spread to the Americas, particularly to regions colonized by the Portuguese and Spanish. Diego Rangel de Villafañe (1587-1667), a Spanish captain and explorer, was one of the early settlers of New Mexico.
In the 19th century, José Maria Heredia y Rangel (1803-1839) was a prominent Cuban poet and writer known for his works that celebrated the natural beauty of his homeland. He was born in Santiago de Cuba and spent much of his life in Mexico.
Throughout history, the surname Rangel has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including noblemen, explorers, missionaries, writers, and poets. While the name originated in Portugal, it has since spread to many parts of the world, particularly to regions with historical connections to the Portuguese and Spanish empires.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rangel
Among Census respondents with the surname Rangel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rangel 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 Rangel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.4% · 51,530
- White6.3% · 3,503
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 199
- Two or more races0.3% · 195
- Black or African American0.3% · 183
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 148
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rangel
Rangel 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
#578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,549
+15,681 bearers (+37.5%)
Per 100,000 19.51
Rank movement Up 172 places
2020
#589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,758
-1,791 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 18.65
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #750 | 41,868 | 15.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #578 | 57,549 | 19.51 | +15,681 bearers (+37.5%) | Up 172 places |
| 2020 | #589 | 55,758 | 18.65 | -1,791 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 11 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 Rangel 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 | #578 | #589 | -1.9% |
| Count | 57,549 | 55,758 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 19.51 | 18.65 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rangel bearers went from 57,549 to 55,758 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #578 to #589.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rangel
FAQ
Rangel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rangel?
Name Census estimates that about 63,939 living Americans carry the surname Rangel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,361 residents.
How common is Rangel?
Rangel ranks #589 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 55,758 people with the surname Rangel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (63,939), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Rangel.
Has Rangel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rangel went from 57,549 recorded bearers to 55,758. That is a decrease of 1,791 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #578 to #589.
What does the Census say about the background of Rangel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rangel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Rangel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (51,530 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rangel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.4%), White (6.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). 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 Rangel (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 Rangel mean?
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the personal name Rancellus, meaning "old" or "wise counselor." 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 Rangel (18.65 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 Rangel?
You can see how many people have the surname Rangel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.