The Rahal surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 614 people carried this name — #36,426 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 476,200 people counted. That is up 27% from 485 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Rahal surname
A surname from Arabic, variously said to be found in Algeria, Lebanon, Syria, or Punjab.
Perhaps borrowed from Arabic رحال (raḥḥāl, “traveller, voyager”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Rahal» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 307 people named Rahal.
Most of them — 181 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 31 départements, most often Seine-Saint-Denis.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 120 people named Rahal live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Córdoba.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
51 people named Rahal live in Switzerland.
They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Aargau.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 35 people named Rahal live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Hainaut.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
98 people named Rahal is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Rahal in American newspapers,
1912–1913.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,478 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Rahal,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Abdelatif Rahal 1922–2014 · politician -
Oulaya 1936–1990 · actor -
Bobby Rahal 1953– · businessperson -
Jony Rahal 1974– · politician -
Malika Rahal 1974– · historian -
James Rahal 1933–2011 · physician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 22 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Rahal.
- Raggi 272 · U.S. census
- Ragni 181 · U.S. census
- Rago 2,093 · U.S. census
- Ragon 788 · U.S. census
- Rague 108 · U.S. census
- Ragusa 2,528 · U.S. census
- Rahier 210 · U.S. census
- Rahim 2,601 · U.S. census
- Rahm 1,624 · U.S. census
- Rahmani 1,056 · U.S. census
- Rai 5,295 · U.S. census
- Raia 1,559 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Rahal is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.