2000
#6,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,863
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.80
Rare Last name
Runnels
An occupational surname for someone who lived near a stream or worked as a water bearer or courier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,410 Americans carry the last name Runnels. That puts it at #6,864 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,356 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Runnels 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
5.4K
1 in 63,356
Census rank
#6,864
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,718 bearers of the surname Runnels in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6864th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Runnels, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Runnels
The surname Runnels is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "rinnell" or "rynel," which means a small stream or a rivulet. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a small stream or a brook.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records and documents. One of the earliest known references is in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, which mentions a Richard de la Runnell. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also list a Thomas atte Runell.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name appeared in various forms, such as Runnell, Runnill, Rundell, and Rundill. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling during that time period.
The name Runnels has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was Sir Thomas Runnells (1515-1592), an English naval commander who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He participated in several notable battles against the Spanish Armada.
In the 17th century, John Runnells (1622-1687) was a prominent landowner and magistrate in the county of Somerset, England. His family held significant influence and wealth in the region.
During the American colonial era, the name was brought to the New World by several immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances was Robert Runnels (1670-1743), who settled in Virginia in the late 17th century.
In the 19th century, Hiram Runnels (1796-1857) was a prominent American politician who served as the sixth Governor of Mississippi from 1833 to 1835. He also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Another notable figure was Harmon Amanda Runnels (1835-1910), an American teacher and author who wrote several books on education and teaching methods. She was a pioneering figure in the field of education in the late 19th century.
The surname Runnels has a rich history and has been associated with various notable individuals spanning several centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English language, reflecting the geographical features of the areas where the name originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Runnels
Among Census respondents with the surname Runnels, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Runnels 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 Runnels surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.0% · 2,970
- Black or African American25.0% · 1,179
- Two or more races5.4% · 256
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 168
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Runnels
Runnels 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
#6,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,055
+192 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 241 places
2020
#6,864
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,718
-337 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,439 | 4,863 | 1.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,680 | 5,055 | 1.71 | +192 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 241 places |
| 2020 | #6,864 | 4,718 | 1.58 | -337 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 184 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 Runnels 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 | #6,680 | #6,864 | -2.8% |
| Count | 5,055 | 4,718 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.58 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Runnels bearers went from 5,055 to 4,718 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 184 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,680 to #6,864.
FAQ
Runnels surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Runnels?
Name Census estimates that about 5,410 living Americans carry the surname Runnels. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,356 residents.
How common is Runnels?
Runnels ranks #6,864 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,718 people with the surname Runnels. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,410), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Runnels.
Has Runnels become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Runnels went from 5,055 recorded bearers to 4,718. That is a decrease of 337 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,680 to #6,864.
What does the Census say about the background of Runnels?
Among Census respondents with the surname Runnels, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Runnels in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.0% (2,970 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Runnels appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.0%), Black (25.0%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Runnels (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 Runnels mean?
An occupational surname for someone who lived near a stream or worked as a water bearer or courier. 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 Runnels (1.58 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 have the last name Runnels?
Want to know how many people have the surname Runnels? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.