2000
#3,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,716
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.23
Rare Last name
Teal
A surname derived from the Old English word tele, referring to a person who lived near a teal-frequented pond.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,707 Americans carry the last name Teal. That puts it at #4,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,310 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teal 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 Teal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.7K
1 in 35,310
Census rank
#4,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,465 bearers of the surname Teal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teal, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teal
The surname TEAL is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "telu," meaning "fertile" or "fruitful," which was often used to describe land or soil. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on or worked with fertile land.
One of the earliest known references to the name TEAL can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Radulfus Tele is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer, and the inclusion of this name suggests that it was in use during this time period.
The TEAL surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a person named William Tele is recorded. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records that documented landowners and their holdings, further indicating the name's association with land or agriculture.
In the 14th century, the TEAL surname appeared in various spellings, such as Tele, Tele, and Teale, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. One notable example is John Tele, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1317.
The surname TEAL has been connected to several place names in England, including Teal in Lincolnshire and Tealby in Lincolnshire, which may have influenced the origin or spelling of the name. Additionally, the name Teal has been linked to the town of Teal in West Yorkshire, where it was recorded as early as the 13th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname TEAL:
1. Sir John Teal (1578-1650), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Southwark during the reign of King Charles I.
2. Thomas Teal (1621-1688), an English Puritan minister and author known for his work "The Ark of Salvation."
3. Robert Teal (1677-1736), an English mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of the Gregorian calendar.
4. Elizabeth Teal (1693-1778), an English poet and writer known for her works on religion and morality.
5. William Teal (1798-1879), a British engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam engines and boilers.
The surname TEAL has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, where it was likely derived from words related to fertile land or agriculture. While the name has undergone various spellings over the centuries, it has maintained a presence in historical records and has been associated with notable individuals across different fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teal
Among Census respondents with the surname Teal, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Teal 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 Teal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.9% · 6,424
- Black or African American15.4% · 1,301
- Two or more races3.7% · 315
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 303
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teal
Teal 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
#3,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,937
+221 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#4,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,465
-472 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Down 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,737 | 8,716 | 3.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,976 | 8,937 | 3.03 | +221 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #4,071 | 8,465 | 2.83 | -472 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 95 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 Teal 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 | #3,976 | #4,071 | -2.4% |
| Count | 8,937 | 8,465 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.03 | 2.83 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teal bearers went from 8,937 to 8,465 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,976 to #4,071.
FAQ
Teal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teal?
Name Census estimates that about 9,707 living Americans carry the surname Teal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,310 residents.
How common is Teal?
Teal ranks #4,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,465 people with the surname Teal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,707), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Teal.
Has Teal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teal went from 8,937 recorded bearers to 8,465. That is a decrease of 472 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,976 to #4,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Teal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teal, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Teal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.9% (6,424 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.9%), Black (15.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Teal (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 Teal mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word tele, referring to a person who lived near a teal-frequented pond. 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 Teal (2.83 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 share the surname Teal?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.