Randall
A surname that developed from the old personal name Randolph, meaning roughly “shield-wolf.”
The #621 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,638 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Randall is generally treated as a shortened or altered form of Randolph, an old Germanic personal name built from elements meaning “shield” and “wolf.” The first element is from a word for shield or rim, while the second is the common name-element for wolf. In older surname books, Randall is often grouped with Randolf, Randoll, and similar forms as a diminutive or variant of that baptismal name.
History
Medieval and early modern records show Randall in several spellings, reflecting the loose spelling of the period. Nineteenth-century surname writers often traced it to Randolph and noted that it was sometimes confused with or influenced by other names such as Rundle. The name became well established in England and later spread widely in English-speaking countries, especially through migration to North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries explicitly list Randall among a cluster of pet or shortened forms derived from Randolph, including Rankin, Rands, Ranson, Hankin, and Hankey.
From the historical record
“RANDAL RANDALL RAN DELL RANDLE RANOOL Randal the Refe. — 'TheTurnamentof Tottetoham," 22 ; Percy. "They call me Jack when I'm abroad. Sometimes they call me John ;”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)