2000
#38,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 535
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Staal
A surname originally referring to those from a place name with the word "staal" meaning steel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 753 Americans carry the last name Staal. That puts it at #36,629 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 455,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Staal 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
753
1 in 455,185
Census rank
#36,629
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
657
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 657 bearers of the surname Staal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36629th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Staal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Staal
The surname Staal is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Dutch word "staal," meaning steel or a type of strong metal alloy. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with metalworkers, blacksmiths, or those involved in the steel industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Staal can be found in the Dutch province of Gelderland in the late 13th century. A document from 1287 mentions a man named Henricus van Stael, which is thought to be an early spelling variation of the surname.
In the 14th century, the name Staal began appearing in various Dutch records and manuscripts, primarily in the regions of North Holland and South Holland. For example, a man named Jan Stael is mentioned in a legal document from the city of Leiden in 1342.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Staal became more widespread across the Netherlands and other parts of Europe. Several notable individuals bearing this name emerged during this period, including:
1. Joachim Staal (1619-1668), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings.
2. Marguerite de Staal (1684-1750), a French author and memoirist who served as a lady-in-waiting at the court of Louis XIV.
3. Carel Staal (1710-1781), a Dutch architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in The Hague.
As the Dutch colonized various parts of the world, the surname Staal also spread to other regions. In the 17th century, a man named Pieter Staal was among the early Dutch settlers in what is now South Africa.
Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Staal continued to appear in historical records across Europe and beyond. Some notable individuals from this time include:
1. Georg Staal (1768-1833), a German musician and composer known for his work in the Romantic era.
2. Marguerite Staal (1776-1837), a French painter and engraver known for her portraits and landscapes.
3. Johannes Staal (1821-1897), a Dutch politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1866 to 1868.
While the surname Staal has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Staal
Among Census respondents with the surname Staal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Staal 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 Staal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 587
- Two or more races5.5% · 36
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Staal
Staal 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
#39,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 555
+20 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 774 places
2020
#36,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 657
+102 bearers (+18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 2,978 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,833 | 535 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,607 | 555 | 0.19 | +20 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 774 places |
| 2020 | #36,629 | 657 | 0.22 | +102 bearers (+18.4%) | Up 2,978 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 Staal 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 | #39,607 | #36,629 | 7.5% |
| Count | 555 | 657 | 18.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.22 | 15.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Staal bearers went from 555 to 657 (+18.4% change). The surname moved up 2,978 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,607 to #36,629.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Staal
FAQ
Staal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Staal?
Name Census estimates that about 753 living Americans carry the surname Staal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 455,185 residents.
How common is Staal?
Staal ranks #36,629 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 657 people with the surname Staal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (753), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Staal.
Has Staal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Staal went from 555 recorded bearers to 657. That is an increase of 102 (+18.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #39,607 to #36,629.
What does the Census say about the background of Staal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Staal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Staal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Staal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Staal (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 Staal mean?
A surname originally referring to those from a place name with the word "staal" meaning steel. 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 Staal (0.22 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 Staal?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Staal? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.