2000
#14,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,897
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Rayl
A locational surname derived from the town of Ryle in Brittany, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,171 Americans carry the last name Rayl. That puts it at #14,988 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rayl 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
2.2K
1 in 157,879
Census rank
#14,988
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,893 bearers of the surname Rayl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14988th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rayl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rayl
The surname RAYL is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "rail," which referred to a type of fence or barrier made of wooden rails. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational name for someone who lived near or maintained a railed enclosure.
The earliest recorded mention of the RAYL surname dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a Richard Rayl is listed in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, an ancient census document. This record provides evidence that the name was already established in parts of England during the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, the RAYL surname appears in various spellings, including Raile, Rayl, and Raylle, in various historical records across different counties in England. This variation in spelling was common during this period, as standardized spellings had not yet been established.
One notable individual with the RAYL surname was John Rayl, a prominent merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents related to trade and commerce in the city during that time.
In the 16th century, the RAYL surname can be found in the parish records of several English villages, indicating its spread across different regions. One example is the baptismal record of William Rayl, born in 1587 in the village of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
During the 17th century, the RAYL surname gained further prominence with the birth of Robert Rayl (1632-1701), a notable English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the King's Bench. His legal career and contributions to the English justice system have been well-documented in historical records and legal texts.
Another significant figure with the RAYL surname was Samuel Rayl (1718-1783), an English clergyman and writer who authored several religious works and served as a vicar in various parishes throughout his lifetime.
By the 18th century, the RAYL surname had become well-established in various parts of England, with families bearing this name found in counties such as Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Gloucestershire, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rayl
Among Census respondents with the surname Rayl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rayl 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 Rayl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,766
- Two or more races3.1% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rayl
Rayl 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
#15,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,853
-44 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,296 places
2020
#14,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,893
+40 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 746 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,438 | 1,897 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,734 | 1,853 | 0.63 | -44 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,296 places |
| 2020 | #14,988 | 1,893 | 0.63 | +40 bearers (+2.2%) | Up 746 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 Rayl 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 | #15,734 | #14,988 | 4.7% |
| Count | 1,853 | 1,893 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.63 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rayl bearers went from 1,853 to 1,893 (+2.2% change). The surname moved up 746 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,734 to #14,988.
FAQ
Rayl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rayl?
Name Census estimates that about 2,171 living Americans carry the surname Rayl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,879 residents.
How common is Rayl?
Rayl ranks #14,988 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,893 people with the surname Rayl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Rayl.
Has Rayl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rayl went from 1,853 recorded bearers to 1,893. That is an increase of 40 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,734 to #14,988.
What does the Census say about the background of Rayl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rayl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rayl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,766 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rayl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Rayl (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 Rayl mean?
A locational surname derived from the town of Ryle in Brittany, France. 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 Rayl (0.63 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 Rayl?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.