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

Syal, 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 Syal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Syal in America

Syal is the 94311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Syal surname appeared 194 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 Syal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Syal 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 Syal

The surname SYAL has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the northern regions of India and Pakistan. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

The name SYAL is derived from the Sanskrit word "Shyal," which means "belonging to the hill" or "hailing from the mountains." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely residents of the hilly or mountainous areas of the region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SYAL can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, which provided detailed records of the administrative divisions and revenue systems of the Mughal Empire.

The SYAL surname has also been associated with various place names in the region, such as the town of Syal in the Sheikhupura district of Pakistan's Punjab province. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname based on their place of origin or residence.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the SYAL surname. One of the earliest recorded was Malik Syal, a 14th-century warrior and chieftain from the Punjab region, who played a significant role in the resistance against the Mongol invasions.

During the Mughal era, the SYAL family held influential positions, with individuals like Raja Syal Khan, a prominent military commander and administrator who served under Emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century.

In more recent times, the SYAL surname has been associated with individuals from various fields, including Shashi SYAL, an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who served as a member of the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian parliament) in the late 20th century.

Another notable figure is Sandeep SYAL, an Indian cricketer who played domestic cricket for Punjab and represented India in the Under-19 World Cup in the early 2000s.

Lastly, Nayyar SYAL is a British actress and comedian of Indian descent, known for her work in television shows like Goodness Gracious Me and Behzat Hazretleri, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Syal

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

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

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

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