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

Terrel, 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 Terrel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Terrel in America

Terrel is the 24762nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Terrel surname appeared 1,006 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 Terrel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Terrel 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 Terrel

The surname Terrel is of English origin and can be traced back to the early Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "terri," meaning a boundary or borderland, and the French suffix "-el," which denotes a diminutive form. Thus, Terrel likely referred to someone who lived near a boundary or border area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Terrel can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Terrell." This suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.

In the 12th century, a family by the name of Terrell held lands in Buckinghamshire, England. This is evidenced by the mention of a William de Terrell in the Pipe Rolls of 1166. The name also appears in various other historical records, such as the Curia Regis Rolls and the Feet of Fines.

During the 13th century, the name Terrel was associated with the village of Terrill in Buckinghamshire. This place name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "tyrr" and "hyll," meaning "mud hill." It is possible that the Terrel surname may have derived from this place name as well.

One notable bearer of the Terrel surname was Sir William Terrell, a prominent English lawyer who lived from 1445 to 1508. He served as a Justice of the King's Bench and was appointed Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1502.

Another notable figure was Sir Walter Terrell, who lived from 1575 to 1625. He was an English politician and served as a Member of Parliament for Aylesbury in 1597.

In the 17th century, the Terrel surname found its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Terrell, who was born in Virginia in 1635 and later settled in North Carolina.

During the American Revolutionary War, Joseph Terrell (1744-1828) fought as a patriot soldier and was later appointed as a judge in Georgia.

In the 19th century, the Terrel surname gained prominence with the birth of Alexander Watkins Terrell (1827-1912), a prominent lawyer, politician, and Confederate soldier from Texas. He served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Terrel

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

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

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

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