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

Rawl, 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 Rawl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rawl in America

Rawl is the 40672nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rawl surname appeared 537 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 Rawl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rawl 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 Rawl

The surname Rawl is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "raw," which means "rough" or "untrimmed," and was likely originally an occupational name for someone who worked with raw materials, such as a tanner or a weaver.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Rawe is mentioned, and the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1381, which references a Richard Rawe. These early spellings, such as Rawe and Rowe, were common variations of the name before it eventually settled on the Rawl spelling.

During the 16th century, the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Rawlins, which is derived from the Old English "Raw-lyn," meaning "rough or untrimmed meadow." This connection suggests that some individuals with the Rawl surname may have originated from areas with similar place names.

One of the earliest notable figures with the Rawl surname was John Rawl (c. 1500-1570), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various records, including the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662, where a Thomas Rawl is listed in Oxfordshire. During this period, a notable individual was John Rawl (1642-1686), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of calculus.

The 18th century saw the emergence of several prominent individuals with the Rawl surname, including the writer and philosopher William Rawl (1712-1778), who is best known for his work on moral philosophy and political theory.

Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the Rawl surname was the British explorer and botanist John Rawl (1812-1882), who led several expeditions to West Africa and made important contributions to the study of tropical flora.

In the 20th century, the name gained further recognition with the American philosopher John Rawls (1921-2002), whose influential work, "A Theory of Justice," has had a lasting impact on political philosophy and the concept of social justice.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rawl

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

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 Rawl 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 Rawl 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 Rawl was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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