2000
#4,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,632
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.83
Rare Last name
Veal
An occupational surname referring to a calf farmer or one who works with calfskin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,590 Americans carry the last name Veal. That puts it at #4,591 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,902 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Veal 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 Veal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,902
Census rank
#4,591
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,491 bearers of the surname Veal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4591st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Veal, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.5%. The next largest groups are White (43.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Veal
The surname Veal is an English occupational name derived from the Old French word "veel" or "vel," meaning a calf or veal. The name originated in medieval England, likely referring to someone who raised or sold calves and veal.
The first recorded instances of the Veal surname can be traced back to the late 13th century in various parts of England, such as Essex, Oxfordshire, and Lincolnshire. The name appeared in various spellings, including Veel, Veale, and Veyel, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.
One of the earliest documented references to the Veal surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1290, where a William Veel is mentioned. Another early record is from the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1279, which lists a John Veel.
In the 14th century, the Veal surname appeared in several historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Roger Veel is listed, and the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1317, which mentions a Robert Veel.
Notable individuals with the Veal surname throughout history include Sir Benjamin Veal (1588-1668), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Lostwithiel in Cornwall during the 17th century. Another prominent figure was Thomas Veal (1670-1737), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Worlington in Suffolk.
In the 18th century, John Veal (1736-1813) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. He achieved the rank of Admiral and played a significant role in several naval engagements.
Moving into the 19th century, Charles Veal (1818-1895) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club. He was known for his batting prowess and scored over 6,000 runs in his career.
Another notable figure with the Veal surname was Florence Veal (1868-1932), an American journalist and writer who was a prominent advocate for women's rights and suffrage in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Veal
Among Census respondents with the surname Veal, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.5%. The next largest groups are White (43.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Veal 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 Veal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.5% · 3,634
- White43.1% · 3,227
- Two or more races4.4% · 331
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 212
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Veal
Veal 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
#4,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,842
+210 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 220 places
2020
#4,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,491
-351 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,299 | 7,632 | 2.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,519 | 7,842 | 2.66 | +210 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 220 places |
| 2020 | #4,591 | 7,491 | 2.51 | -351 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 72 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 Veal 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 | #4,519 | #4,591 | -1.6% |
| Count | 7,842 | 7,491 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.66 | 2.51 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Veal bearers went from 7,842 to 7,491 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,519 to #4,591.
FAQ
Veal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Veal?
Name Census estimates that about 8,590 living Americans carry the surname Veal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,902 residents.
How common is Veal?
Veal ranks #4,591 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.51 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 7,491 people with the surname Veal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,590), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.51 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 Veal.
Has Veal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Veal went from 7,842 recorded bearers to 7,491. That is a decrease of 351 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,519 to #4,591.
What does the Census say about the background of Veal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Veal, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.5%. The next largest groups are White (43.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Veal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.5% (3,634 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Veal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.5%), White (43.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Veal (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 Veal mean?
An occupational surname referring to a calf farmer or one who works with calfskin. 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 Veal (2.51 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 Veal?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.