2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Amel
A surname derived from the Arabic word for "worker" or "laborer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Amel. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Amel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amel, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amel
The surname Amel has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "amal," which means "labor" or "work." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone engaged in manual labor or a particular craft.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname Amel can be found in the Bavarian town of Nuremberg, where a record from 1285 mentions a certain Hanns Amel, a blacksmith by trade. This indicates that the name was already in use as a hereditary surname during that period.
In the 14th century, the Amel name appears in various records across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia. One notable individual was Heinrich Amel, a scholar and scribe born in Augsburg around 1350, who is credited with transcribing several important manuscripts of the time.
As the surname spread across Germanic regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Ammel, Amel, and Ahmel. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.
In the late 15th century, the Amel name found its way to the Netherlands, where a branch of the family settled in the city of Leiden. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johannes Amel, a prominent merchant born in Leiden in 1492.
Throughout the centuries, several individuals with the surname Amel have left their mark in various fields. One such figure was Wilhelm Amel, a German painter born in 1675, known for his religious works and portraits commissioned by noble families.
Another notable bearer of the Amel name was Johann Amel, a 17th-century German clockmaker from Nuremberg, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by royalty and the wealthy across Europe.
In the realm of literature, Carl Amel, a German author born in 1818, gained recognition for his historical novels and plays that explored themes of social justice and cultural identity.
Moving into the 19th century, we find August Amel, a German botanist born in 1842, who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and the classification of various species found in central Europe.
While the surname Amel is not as common today as it once was in its regions of origin, it continues to serve as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage and diverse stories woven into the tapestry of family names across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amel
Among Census respondents with the surname Amel, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Amel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Amel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino16.5% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 5
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amel
Amel appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,530 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 5,530 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Amel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #159,712 | #154,182 | 3.5% |
| Count | 101 | 103 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amel bearers went from 101 to 103 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 5,530 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Amel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amel?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Amel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Amel?
Amel ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Amel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Amel.
Has Amel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amel went from 101 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Amel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amel, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Amel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Hispanic (16.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Amel (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Amel mean?
A surname derived from the Arabic word for "worker" or "laborer". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Amel (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Amel?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Amel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.