2000
#9,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Southall
A locational surname referring to someone from a southern hall or manor house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,545 Americans carry the last name Southall. That puts it at #9,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,687 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Southall 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 Southall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 96,687
Census rank
#9,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,091 bearers of the surname Southall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Southall, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Southall
The surname "Southall" is of English origin, derived from a place name referring to a location south of a specific area or landmark. It is believed to have emerged in the 12th or 13th century, during the Anglo-Saxon period.
The name "Southall" likely originated from the Old English words "sūth" meaning "south" and "healh" meaning "nook" or "corner of land." This suggests that the name initially referred to a settlement situated to the south of a prominent geographical feature, such as a hill, river, or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Southall" can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a person named "John de Southall" is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various historical records, including the Parish Registers of Cheshire, which listed a "Randall Southall" in 1592. Additionally, the Wills and Inventories of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk mentioned a "Robert Southall" in 1579.
Notable individuals with the surname "Southall" throughout history include:
1. Robert Southall (c. 1635-1697), an English Quaker missionary who traveled to the American colonies and worked among Native American tribes.
2. John Southall (1592-1643), an English Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
3. Mary Southall (1777-1858), a British Quaker minister and author known for her writings on religious topics.
4. Richard Southall (1504-1564), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the Tudor period.
5. Thomas Southall (1745-1820), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
Additionally, the name "Southall" is associated with several place names in England, such as Southall in Middlesex (now part of West London), Southall in Nottinghamshire, and Southall in Shropshire. These locations likely derived their names from the same Old English roots as the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Southall
Among Census respondents with the surname Southall, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Southall 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 Southall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.3% · 1,740
- Black or African American35.0% · 1,081
- Two or more races5.2% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Southall
Southall 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
#9,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,231
+100 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 460 places
2020
#9,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,091
-140 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,523 | 3,131 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,983 | 3,231 | 1.10 | +100 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 460 places |
| 2020 | #9,963 | 3,091 | 1.03 | -140 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 20 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 Southall 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 | #9,983 | #9,963 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,231 | 3,091 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.03 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Southall bearers went from 3,231 to 3,091 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,983 to #9,963.
FAQ
Southall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Southall?
Name Census estimates that about 3,545 living Americans carry the surname Southall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,687 residents.
How common is Southall?
Southall ranks #9,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,091 people with the surname Southall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,545), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Southall.
Has Southall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Southall went from 3,231 recorded bearers to 3,091. That is a decrease of 140 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,983 to #9,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Southall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Southall, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Southall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (1,740 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Southall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.3%), Black (35.0%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Southall (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 Southall mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a southern hall or manor house. 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 Southall (1.03 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 Americans have the surname Southall?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.