Find out how popular the last name Akel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Akel.

Akel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Akel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Akel in America

Akel is the 33941st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Akel surname appeared 670 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Akel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Akel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Akel

The surname AKEL is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region that is now modern-day Lebanon. It is thought to have derived from the Arabic word "akal," which means "intellect" or "understanding." The name likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname AKEL can be found in a manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a scholar named Khalil Akel who resided in the city of Tripoli. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

During the Crusades, when parts of the Levant were under European control, the name AKEL appeared in several official documents and records kept by the Crusader kingdoms. For example, a man named Yusuf Akel is listed as a landowner in the village of Kafr Nabolsa in a tax register from the year 1245.

As the centuries passed, the surname AKEL spread across the Middle East and North Africa, carried by merchant families and scholars. One notable figure was Ibrahim Akel, a renowned mathematician and astronomer who lived in Cairo in the 15th century and made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

In the 18th century, a branch of the Akel family settled in the city of Aleppo, in present-day Syria. One member of this family, Ahmed Akel, was a prominent merchant who played a crucial role in facilitating trade between Aleppo and the Mediterranean ports. His descendants continued to be influential in the city's commercial affairs for several generations.

Another prominent individual with the surname AKEL was Boutros Akel, a Lebanese writer and journalist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a vocal advocate for Lebanese independence and played a significant role in the country's cultural and political movements of that era.

Over time, as people with the surname AKEL migrated and settled in different parts of the world, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some of these include Akeel, Akil, and Akeel, but the root of the name and its Arabic origins remain consistent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Akel

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Akel.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Akel was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Akel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Akel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Akel, please contact us.

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