Rael
A surname with several possible roots, most often treated as a short form or variant of names like Israel or the Spanish Rael/rael-type family names.
The #9,093 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,954 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rael is not a single, securely fixed surname in the historical record, and its origin can vary by family. In some cases it is thought to be a shortened or altered form of a longer biblical or Hebrew name, especially Israel. In other cases it may reflect Spanish-language surname development, where spellings and pronunciations shifted over time in ways that produced forms like Rael.
History
In the United States, Rael is especially associated with Hispanic and Southwestern family lines, which fits a Spanish-language pathway for many bearers. Because the spelling is short and relatively uncommon, the same form may have arisen independently in more than one family, rather than from one single ancestor. The surname is therefore best treated as a name with multiple possible origins rather than one universal derivation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Its short spelling makes Rael look simple, but it can hide more than one family history underneath the same name.