2000
#574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.46
Uncommon Last name
Randall
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Randel, meaning "shield-wolf" in Old Norse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 59,359 Americans carry the last name Randall. That puts it at #639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,774 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Randall 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 Randall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
59K
1 in 5,774
Census rank
#639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
52K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 51,764 bearers of the surname Randall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Randall, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Randall
The surname Randall has its origins in the Old French word "Randolf" which was a combination of the Germanic elements "rand" meaning "rim" and "wulf" meaning "wolf". It is believed to have originated in Normandy, France around the 11th century.
The name made its way to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Randulf" and "Randulfus".
As the name spread across England, it evolved into various spellings such as Randolph, Randal, and Randall. Many of these surnames were derived from place names in England, such as Randall in Buckinghamshire and Randall's Green in Gloucestershire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Randall was Sir Thomas Randall (c. 1305-1366), an English soldier and politician who served as a member of Parliament for Wiltshire.
Another notable Randall was Thomas Randolph (1605-1635), an English poet and playwright who was the adopted son of Ben Jonson. His works include the plays "The Muses' Looking-Glass" and "Amyntas".
In the 18th century, John Randall (1722-1784) was a prominent English clockmaker known for his longcase clocks and watches. His clocks were highly sought after and can still be found in museums and collections today.
One of the most famous bearers of the surname was Archibald Randall (1836-1907), an American Civil War soldier who earned the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Battle of Fort Stedman in 1865.
Lastly, Sir Richard Randall (1914-1987) was a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Ambassador to the United States from 1979 to 1983.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Randall, a name with a rich and enduring legacy spanning centuries and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Randall
Among Census respondents with the surname Randall, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Randall 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 Randall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.9% · 37,235
- Black or African American18.7% · 9,698
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,213
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,723
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 539
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 356
Timeline
Historical Census data for Randall
Randall 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
#621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,764
+2,269 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 18.57
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,764
-3,000 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 17.32
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #574 | 52,495 | 19.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #621 | 54,764 | 18.57 | +2,269 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #639 | 51,764 | 17.32 | -3,000 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 18 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 Randall 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 | #621 | #639 | -2.9% |
| Count | 54,764 | 51,764 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 18.57 | 17.32 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Randall bearers went from 54,764 to 51,764 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #621 to #639.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Randall
FAQ
Randall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Randall?
Name Census estimates that about 59,359 living Americans carry the surname Randall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,774 residents.
How common is Randall?
Randall ranks #639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 51,764 people with the surname Randall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (59,359), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Randall.
Has Randall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Randall went from 54,764 recorded bearers to 51,764. That is a decrease of 3,000 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #621 to #639.
What does the Census say about the background of Randall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Randall, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Randall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.9% (37,235 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Randall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.9%), Black (18.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Randall (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 Randall mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Randel, meaning "shield-wolf" in Old Norse. 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 Randall (17.32 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 Randall?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.