2000
#96,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Rahall
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from an Arabic word or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 190 Americans carry the last name Rahall. That puts it at #112,515 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,803,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rahall 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.
Bearers in the US
190
1 in 1,803,970
Census rank
#112,515
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
166
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 166 bearers of the surname Rahall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 112515th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rahall, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.2%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rahall
The surname Rahall is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Syria and Lebanon. It is thought to be derived from an Arabic word or phrase, though its precise origin and meaning are uncertain. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century, when it appeared in various manuscripts and records from the region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was a prominent scholar and poet, Ahmed ibn Rahall, who lived in Damascus during the late 12th century. His works and writings are among the earliest documented references to the Rahall surname. Another early figure was Khalil Rahall, a merchant and trader from Aleppo who traveled extensively throughout the Middle East in the 13th century.
As the centuries passed, the Rahall name spread beyond its geographic origins, carried by merchants, travelers, and settlers to various parts of the world. In the 16th century, there are records of a Rahall family residing in the city of Venice, Italy, likely descendants of traders or merchants from the Levant region.
One notable figure from this period was Ibrahim Rahall, a Venetian merchant and diplomat who played a role in facilitating trade and diplomatic relations between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire in the late 16th century.
The Rahall surname also made its way to the British Isles, likely through immigration from the Middle East or Southern Europe. In the 17th century, there are records of a John Rahall, a merchant and landowner in the English county of Essex. His descendants continued to use the Rahall surname for several generations.
Another significant figure was Sir William Rahall, a British military officer who served in the East India Company and played a role in the conquest of various territories in India during the late 18th century. He was born in 1745 and died in 1819.
As the centuries progressed, the Rahall surname continued to spread and appear in various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families through migration, trade, and exploration. While its precise origins and meaning remain somewhat shrouded in mystery, the Rahall surname has a rich and diverse history that spans continents and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rahall
Among Census respondents with the surname Rahall, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.2%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rahall 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 Rahall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 2
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rahall
Rahall 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
#97,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
+13 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 292 places
2020
#112,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
-21 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 15,305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,918 | 174 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #97,210 | 187 | 0.06 | +13 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 292 places |
| 2020 | #112,515 | 166 | 0.06 | -21 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 15,305 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 Rahall 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 | #97,210 | #112,515 | -15.7% |
| Count | 187 | 166 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rahall bearers went from 187 to 166 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 15,305 positions in the national ranking, going from #97,210 to #112,515.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rahall
FAQ
Rahall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rahall?
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the surname Rahall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,803,970 residents.
How common is Rahall?
Rahall ranks #112,515 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 166 people with the surname Rahall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rahall.
Has Rahall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rahall went from 187 recorded bearers to 166. That is a decrease of 21 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #97,210 to #112,515.
What does the Census say about the background of Rahall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rahall, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.2%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Rahall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rahall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Hispanic (1.2%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Rahall (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 Rahall mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from an Arabic word or place name. 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 Rahall (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Rahall?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.