Rangel
A surname most often of Iberian origin, usually linked to a place name or landscape feature rather than a trade or nickname.
The #578 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,365 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rangel is generally treated as a surname of Iberian origin, especially Spanish and Portuguese. It is usually explained as a locational name, referring to someone from a place called Rangel or from a topographic feature associated with that name. The deeper root is not fully settled, so the surname is best understood as a place-based name whose exact earliest source is uncertain.
History
The surname appears in Spain and Portugal and later spread widely through the Iberian diaspora, especially to Latin America. In modern usage it is common in Spanish-speaking countries and in communities with Mexican, Central American, Caribbean, or Portuguese ancestry. Because surnames often traveled with migration and colonial settlement, Rangel can be found today far beyond the Iberian Peninsula.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Rangel is a good example of a surname that stayed strongly Iberian in form but became much more widespread through migration to the Americas.