2000
#1,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.16
Uncommon Last name
Angel
A surname derived from a nickname for a person who was considered to be exceptionally beautiful or innocent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,049 Americans carry the last name Angel. That puts it at #1,475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,672 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Angel 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 Angel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,672
Census rank
#1,475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,588 bearers of the surname Angel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Angel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.8%. The next largest groups are White (39.8%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Angel
The surname Angel has its roots in the Spanish and Portuguese languages, originating from the Latin word "angelus," which translates to "messenger" or "angel." This name first emerged during the Middle Ages in the Iberian Peninsula, encompassing modern-day Spain and Portugal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Angel surname can be found in the "Libro de las Behetrías" ("Book of Bequests"), a 14th-century Castilian document that documented landowners and their properties. The document mentions individuals bearing the surname Angel, suggesting its widespread use in that era.
The Angel surname is believed to have been initially adopted as a descriptive name, referring to individuals who were considered angelic or virtuous in their behavior. It may have also been used as a nickname for individuals with a gentle or kind demeanor.
During the 15th century, the Angel surname gained prominence in various regions of Spain, particularly in Andalusia and Catalonia. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Juan Angel, a renowned architect who designed several notable structures in Seville during the late 15th century.
As the Spanish and Portuguese empires expanded their reach in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Angel surname traveled across the globe, carried by explorers, settlers, and colonists. One such notable figure was Pedro de Angel, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
In the 19th century, the Angel surname continued to spread, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields. Miguel Angel Asturias, a Guatemalan writer and diplomat, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967 for his influential works that blended indigenous and European cultural traditions.
Another prominent figure was José Angel Lamas, a Venezuelan writer and politician who played a significant role in the country's independence movement in the early 19th century. His literary works and political activism left a lasting impact on Venezuelan society.
The Angel surname has also been associated with notable figures in the arts and entertainment industries. One such individual is Jack Angel, an American voice actor born in 1930, best known for his work in animated films and television series.
Overall, the surname Angel has a rich history that spans centuries and traverses various regions of the world, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped its evolution and legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Angel
Among Census respondents with the surname Angel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.8%. The next largest groups are White (39.8%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Angel 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 Angel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino52.8% · 12,455
- White39.8% · 9,393
- Black or African American2.9% · 673
- Two or more races2.3% · 540
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 421
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 106
Timeline
Historical Census data for Angel
Angel 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
#1,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,895
+5,579 bearers (+28.9%)
Per 100,000 8.44
Rank movement Up 276 places
2020
#1,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,588
-1,307 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 7.89
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,704 | 19,316 | 7.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,428 | 24,895 | 8.44 | +5,579 bearers (+28.9%) | Up 276 places |
| 2020 | #1,475 | 23,588 | 7.89 | -1,307 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 47 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 Angel 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 | #1,428 | #1,475 | -3.3% |
| Count | 24,895 | 23,588 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 8.44 | 7.89 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Angel bearers went from 24,895 to 23,588 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,428 to #1,475.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Angel
FAQ
Angel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Angel?
Name Census estimates that about 27,049 living Americans carry the surname Angel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,672 residents.
How common is Angel?
Angel ranks #1,475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,588 people with the surname Angel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Angel.
Has Angel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Angel went from 24,895 recorded bearers to 23,588. That is a decrease of 1,307 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,428 to #1,475.
What does the Census say about the background of Angel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Angel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.8%. The next largest groups are White (39.8%) and Black (2.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Angel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.8% (12,455 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Angel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (52.8%), White (39.8%), Black (2.9%). 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 Angel (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 Angel mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for a person who was considered to be exceptionally beautiful or innocent. 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 Angel (7.89 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 are called Angel?
Want to know how many people are called Angel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.