Randle
A surname that usually developed as a shortened form of Randall, itself from the old Germanic name Randolph/Randulf.
The #2,508 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,386 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Randle is generally understood as a reduced form of Randall, which in turn comes from the old Germanic personal name Randolph or Randulf. That name is built from elements meaning either "shield" or "rim" and "wolf," so the original sense was something like "shield-wolf" or "rim-wolf". In medieval English records, the fuller forms Randall, Randolph, and Randolf were often shortened in everyday use, producing Randle and similar spellings.
History
The surname appears in medieval and later English records in several spelling forms, including Randle, Randell, Randall, and Rundle. The historical sources here explicitly link Randle to Randall/Randolph and treat it as a reduced nickname-like surname rather than a separate independent root. It is especially found in English usage and later spread through English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname dictionaries often grouped Randle with a whole family of spellings derived from the same medieval personal name, which is why the forms can look separate but are really close cousins.
From the historical record
“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 ; But when I'm in my father's bower”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)