Explore the Family Name Egal

The meaning of Egal

1. Somali: from the personal name Egal, based on a word denoting a kind of men’s head gear. It is also found in Kenya and Djibouti. — Note: Since Somalis traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 2. Americanized form of German or Jewish (Ashkenazic) Igel ‘hedgehog’. 3. French: from Old Occitan égal, from Latin aequalis ‘equal’, possibly applied as a nickname for a righteous person or used as a topographic name for someone who lived on a flat piece of land.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Egal in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Egal has shown an increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 76,700th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had escalated considerably to the 52,970th position, illustrating a positive change of around 30.94%. The number of individuals bearing the Egal surname also rose significantly during this period, from 233 in 2000 to 391 in 2010, marking a substantial increase of about 67.81%. Similarly, the proportion of the Egal surname per 100k population increased by 44.44%, from 0.09 in 2000 to 0.13 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#76,700#52,97030.94%
Count23339167.81%
Proportion per 100k0.090.1344.44%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Egal

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals dynamic shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals with the Egal surname identifying as Black grew from 60.09% in 2000 to 79.28% in 2010, indicating a 31.94% increase. At the same time, those identifying as White decreased by 39.37%, moving from 24.89% in 2000 to just 15.09% in 2010. The proportion of people who identified with two or more races saw a significant drop of approximately 78.32%, descending from 14.16% in 2000 to 3.07% in 2010. Meanwhile, there were no individuals using the Egal surname identifying as Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander (up until 2000), or American Indian and Alaskan Native during these years. By 2010, however, a small fraction (1.79%) started to identify as Asian/Pacific Islander.

20002010Change
Black60.09%79.28%31.94%
White24.89%15.09%-39.37%
Two or More Races14.16%3.07%-78.32%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%1.79%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%