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

Roel, 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 Roel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roel in America

Roel is the 36695th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roel surname appeared 609 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 Roel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roel 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 Roel

The surname ROEL is of Dutch origin and can be traced back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. It is believed to be derived from the Middle Dutch word "roele," which means "a spool" or "a bobbin," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who worked with spools or bobbins, likely in the textile industry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ROEL can be found in the Dutch baptismal records from Leiden, where a man named Jan Roels was mentioned in 1593. The surname was also present in other regions of the Netherlands, such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, during the 16th and 17th centuries.

The name ROEL has also been associated with various place names in the Netherlands, such as Roelof, Roelofarendsveen, and Roelofshagen. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Historically, the surname ROEL has been borne by several notable individuals. One such person was Pieter Roel (1614-1687), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life paintings and landscapes. Another prominent figure was Jacobus Roel (1695-1768), a Dutch architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Amsterdam and Utrecht.

In the 19th century, the ROEL surname gained recognition through the work of Willem Roel (1819-1890), a Dutch writer and journalist who contributed significantly to the development of Dutch literature. He was also known for his political activism and advocacy for social reforms.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Johannes Roel (1873-1945), a Dutch theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Utrecht. His writings on ethics and theology had a significant impact on the intellectual discourse of his time.

The ROEL surname has also been present in other parts of Europe, such as Germany and Belgium, where variations like Röhl and Roehl have been recorded. However, its origins can be firmly traced back to the Netherlands, and it remains a prominent surname in that country to this day.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roel

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

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

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

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