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

Roybal, 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 Roybal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roybal in America

Roybal is the 5197th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roybal surname appeared 6,725 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Roybal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roybal 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 Roybal

The surname ROYBAL originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "royal," which means "royal" or "kingly." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked in the service of a royal household or had some connection to royalty.

The name likely originated in the regions of Aragon or Castile, where the Spanish language developed from a blend of Latin and local Iberian dialects. Early spellings of the name may have included variations like Roibal, Royval, or Roival.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ROYBAL name can be found in the Apellidos Españoles ("Spanish Surnames") manuscript from the 15th century, which cataloged surnames used in various regions of Spain at the time.

In the 16th century, a man named Juan Roybal was mentioned in historical records as a renowned artist and architect who worked on several notable buildings in Seville, Spain. His birth and death dates are unknown, but his contributions to the city's architecture are well-documented.

Another notable figure with the ROYBAL surname was María Roybal, a Spanish writer and poet who lived in the 17th century. She was known for her work celebrating the struggles and resilience of women during that era. Her exact birth and death years are uncertain, but her works are still studied and analyzed by scholars today.

In the 18th century, a man named Sebastián Roybal was a prominent military leader who fought in the Spanish-American War of Independence. He was born in 1765 in Zaragoza, Spain, and died in 1832 after a distinguished career in the Spanish army.

During the 19th century, the ROYBAL name spread to various regions of Spain and beyond, as families migrated and settled in new areas. One notable figure from this time was Juana Roybal, a Spanish educator and women's rights activist who founded several schools for girls in Madrid. She was born in 1825 and died in 1902.

Another significant individual with the ROYBAL surname was Ramón Roybal, a Spanish-American explorer and cartographer who was instrumental in mapping several regions of the American West in the late 19th century. He was born in 1850 in Seville, Spain, and died in 1920 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roybal

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

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

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

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