Explore the Family Name Raoul

The meaning of Raoul

French and Breton: from the French personal name Raoul, from ancient Germanic Radwulf, composed of the elements rad ‘counsel’ and wulf ‘wolf’. In France, this surname is most common in Brittany. See also Rheault.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Raoul has seen a significant increase in popularity over a decade. In 2000, it was ranked 139,757 in terms of its prevalence, but by 2010, it had improved its standing to rank 125,282. This is a notable change of 10.36%. Furthermore, the count of individuals carrying the Raoul name also increased from 110 in 2000 to 137 in 2010, signifying a 24.55% growth. The proportion per 100,000 people similarly rose by 25%, going from 0.04 in 2000 to 0.05 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#139,757	#125,282	10.36%
Count	110	137	24.55%
Proportion per 100k	0.04	0.05	25%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Raoul

In regards to the ethnic identity associated with the surname Raoul, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010. In both years, there were no recorded instances of the name among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native, and amongst those identifying with two or more races. However, the percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased by 24.05%, falling from 33.64% in 2000 to 25.55% in 2010. Similarly, the Hispanic portion declined by 42.61%, moving from 6.36% to 3.65% over the same decade. On the other hand, the Black community saw a growth in the usage of the surname Raoul, with an increase of 23.03% from 56.36% in 2000 to 69.34% in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	56.36%	69.34%	23.03%
White	33.64%	25.55%	-24.05%
Hispanic	6.36%	3.65%	-42.61%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%