Last Names

Surnames / R

Runnels

How common is the last name Runnels?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for Runnels, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Similar spellings

Names nearby in the census

#6,680

Runnels was the 6,680th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 5,055 people, about 1.6 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)66.4%
  • Hispanic or Latino3.0%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)25.1%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander0.4%
  • Two or more races3.0%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native2.1%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.