2000
#10,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,712
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Scannell
An Irish occupational surname referring to a descendant of a scanner or historian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,955 Americans carry the last name Scannell. That puts it at #11,647 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,991 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scannell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Scannell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,991
Census rank
#11,647
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,577 bearers of the surname Scannell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11647th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scannell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scannell
The surname SCANNELL is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic ÓScannail, which translates to "descendant of Scannail." The name Scannail is thought to have been a personal name, perhaps a diminutive form of Scannal, which means "scandal" or "reproach." The name likely emerged in the late 11th or early 12th century in Ireland.
The SCANNELL surname is most prevalent in the counties of Cork, Kerry, and Limerick, suggesting that the name originated in the province of Munster. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be O'Scannill, found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Donough O'Scannell, who was recorded as the Bishop of Raphoe in County Donegal in the year 1290. Another notable figure was John O'Scannell, a 16th-century poet and historian from County Limerick.
In the 17th century, a branch of the SCANNELL family settled in County Cork, where they became prominent landowners. One notable member of this branch was Patrick SCANNELL (1629-1691), who served as a member of the Irish Parliament and fought in the Williamite War in Ireland.
During the 19th century, the SCANNELL surname spread beyond Ireland due to the Great Famine and subsequent emigration. One notable figure from this period was Michael SCANNELL (1836-1917), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
Another notable bearer of the name was Michael Vincent SCANNELL (1884-1963), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Omaha, Nebraska, from 1948 until his retirement in 1960.
In more recent times, the name has been borne by individuals such as Terry SCANNELL (born 1937), an English actor and author known for his roles in television series like Z-Cars and Softly, Softly.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scannell
Among Census respondents with the surname Scannell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Scannell 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 Scannell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,353
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 103
- Two or more races2.7% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scannell
Scannell 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
#11,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,684
-28 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 882 places
2020
#11,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,577
-107 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,797 | 2,712 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,679 | 2,684 | 0.91 | -28 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 882 places |
| 2020 | #11,647 | 2,577 | 0.86 | -107 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 32 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 Scannell 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 | #11,679 | #11,647 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,684 | 2,577 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.86 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scannell bearers went from 2,684 to 2,577 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,679 to #11,647.
FAQ
Scannell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scannell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,955 living Americans carry the surname Scannell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,991 residents.
How common is Scannell?
Scannell ranks #11,647 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,577 people with the surname Scannell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Scannell.
Has Scannell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scannell went from 2,684 recorded bearers to 2,577. That is a decrease of 107 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,679 to #11,647.
What does the Census say about the background of Scannell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scannell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Scannell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,353 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scannell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Scannell (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 Scannell mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a descendant of a scanner or historian. 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 Scannell (0.86 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 surname Scannell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.