2000
#25,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 925
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Raval
A locational surname referring to someone from Raval, an area in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,404 Americans carry the last name Raval. That puts it at #13,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,577 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raval 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 Raval with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,577
Census rank
#13,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,096 bearers of the surname Raval in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raval, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raval
The surname RAVAL is believed to have originated in India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'raval' which means 'a chief' or 'a ruler'. The name is thought to have first appeared in the regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan, where it was used to denote a person of high social status or authority.
In the medieval period, the name RAVAL was associated with the ruling classes and aristocracy of the Indian subcontinent. It is found in several historical records and manuscripts from that era, often indicating individuals who held positions of power or influence.
One of the earliest known mentions of the name RAVAL can be traced back to the 12th century, when a nobleman named Raval Khengar was a prominent figure in the court of the Chalukya dynasty in Gujarat. Another notable individual was Raval Harpaldev, a 13th-century ruler of the Jethwa clan in Saurashtra.
Over the centuries, the RAVAL name has spread across various parts of India and has been adopted by people from different communities and castes. Some prominent individuals with this surname include Vithaldas RAVAL, a renowned poet and scholar from Gujarat who lived in the 17th century, and Mahadev Govind RAVAL, a social reformer and educator from Maharashtra in the late 19th century.
In more recent times, the name RAVAL has been associated with several influential figures. For instance, Babubhai RAVAL was a prominent freedom fighter and social worker from Gujarat, who played an active role in the Indian independence movement in the early 20th century. Satyajit RAVAL, born in 1926, was a celebrated Indian filmmaker known for his critically acclaimed works that explored the complexities of human relationships.
Another notable individual with the RAVAL surname was Ghanshyam RAVAL, a renowned industrialist and philanthropist from Gujarat. He founded the Raval Group of Companies, one of the largest business conglomerates in India, and was also involved in various charitable and social welfare initiatives.
While the RAVAL name has its roots in India, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical significance and cultural associations of this surname remain deeply rooted in the Indian subcontinent, reflecting its rich heritage and diverse cultural tapestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raval
Among Census respondents with the surname Raval, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Raval 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 Raval surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.0% · 1,950
- White3.0% · 62
- Two or more races2.7% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raval
Raval 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
#18,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,453
+528 bearers (+57.1%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Up 6,312 places
2020
#13,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,096
+643 bearers (+44.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 5,030 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,147 | 925 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,835 | 1,453 | 0.49 | +528 bearers (+57.1%) | Up 6,312 places |
| 2020 | #13,805 | 2,096 | 0.70 | +643 bearers (+44.3%) | Up 5,030 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 Raval 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 | #18,835 | #13,805 | 26.7% |
| Count | 1,453 | 2,096 | 44.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.70 | 43.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raval bearers went from 1,453 to 2,096 (+44.3% change). The surname moved up 5,030 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,835 to #13,805.
FAQ
Raval surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raval?
Name Census estimates that about 2,404 living Americans carry the surname Raval. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,577 residents.
How common is Raval?
Raval ranks #13,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,096 people with the surname Raval. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,404), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Raval.
Has Raval become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raval went from 1,453 recorded bearers to 2,096. That is an increase of 643 (+44.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,835 to #13,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Raval?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raval, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Raval in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,950 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raval appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.0%), White (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Raval (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 Raval mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Raval, an area in Spain. 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 Raval (0.70 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 share the surname Raval?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.