Find out how popular the last name Raoul is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Raoul.

Raoul, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Raoul surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Raoul in America

Raoul is the 125282nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Raoul surname appeared 137 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Raoul.

We can also compare 2010 data for Raoul to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Raoul

The surname RAOUL originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic name Radulf, which is a combination of the elements "rad" meaning counsel and "wulf" meaning wolf. The name RAOUL is a French variant of this name.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname RAOUL date back to the 12th century in Normandy, France. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Raoul de Gournay, a Norman knight who fought in the Third Crusade alongside Richard the Lionheart in the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name RAOUL appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Domesday Book, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name was also found in the Pipe Rolls, which were medieval financial records kept by the English Exchequer.

Over the centuries, the surname RAOUL has been associated with several notable figures. One of the most famous was Raoul de Cambrai, a 12th-century French knight and the protagonist of an Old French chanson de geste (epic poem) bearing his name. Another notable bearer of this surname was Raoul de Houdenc, a 13th-century French poet and author of several works, including the romance "La Vengeance Raguidel."

In the 14th century, Raoul de Presles (c. 1316-1382) was a French scholar and translator who served as the secretary to King Charles V of France. He is best known for translating several classical works, including Cicero's "De Amicitia" and St. Augustine's "City of God."

During the Renaissance, Raoul Spifame (c. 1501-1566) was a French jurist and political theorist who served as the chancellor of France under King Henry II. He is remembered for his writings on the theory of divine right monarchy.

In the 17th century, Raoul Auger Feuillet (1659-1710) was a French dancer and choreographer who is credited with developing a system of dance notation known as Feuillet notation, which was widely used in the baroque period.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname RAOUL throughout history. While the name has French origins, it has since spread to other parts of the world and continues to be used as a surname today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Raoul

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Raoul.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Raoul was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Raoul has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Raoul was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Raoul, please contact us.

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