2000
#5,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,431
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Bartel
From German, referring to someone who lived near or worked at a church or chapel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,890 Americans carry the last name Bartel. That puts it at #6,371 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartel 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
5.9K
1 in 58,193
Census rank
#6,371
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,136 bearers of the surname Bartel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6371st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bartel
The surname Bartel is of German origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the personal name 'Bartholomew', which was derived from the Aramaic name 'Bar-Talmai', meaning 'son of the furrows'. The name Bartholomew was popular during the Middle Ages and was often shortened to Bartel or Bartl.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bartel can be found in the Rottweil Municipal Archives, where a certain Cunrat Bartel is mentioned in a document dated 1292. Another early reference is from the Salzburg Monastery Records, which mention a Hans Bartel in 1364.
In the 15th century, the name Bartel appeared in various records across Germany. For instance, a Claus Bartel was mentioned in the Würzburg City Archives in 1428, while a Hans Bartel was recorded in the Nuremberg Citizen Rolls in 1497.
The name Bartel was also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Bartelshofen, Bartelshagen, and Bartelsdorf. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the name Bartel who had settled in those areas.
One notable individual with the surname Bartel was Johann Caspar Bartel (1648-1737), a German organist and composer who served at the court of Kassel. Another prominent figure was Johann Christoph Bartel (1776-1849), a German painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bartel include:
1. Konrad Bartel (c. 1470-1535), a German Renaissance humanist and educator.
2. Hans Bartel (c. 1500-1570), a German goldsmith and engraver active in Nuremberg.
3. Johann Friedrich Bartel (1743-1809), a German theologian and educator.
4. Karl Friedrich Bartel (1792-1858), a German composer and music theorist.
5. Wilhelm Bartel (1879-1952), a German writer and translator.
The surname Bartel has been present in various regions of Germany for centuries and has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages. It has been associated with notable individuals in fields such as music, art, education, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bartel
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartel 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 Bartel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 4,762
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 149
- Two or more races2.7% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 46
- Black or African American0.5% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bartel
Bartel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,568
+137 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Down 318 places
2020
#6,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,136
-432 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 219 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,834 | 5,431 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,152 | 5,568 | 1.89 | +137 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 318 places |
| 2020 | #6,371 | 5,136 | 1.72 | -432 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 219 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 Bartel 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 | #6,152 | #6,371 | -3.6% |
| Count | 5,568 | 5,136 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.89 | 1.72 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartel bearers went from 5,568 to 5,136 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 219 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,152 to #6,371.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bartel
FAQ
Bartel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bartel?
Name Census estimates that about 5,890 living Americans carry the surname Bartel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,193 residents.
How common is Bartel?
Bartel ranks #6,371 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,136 people with the surname Bartel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,890), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bartel.
Has Bartel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartel went from 5,568 recorded bearers to 5,136. That is a decrease of 432 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,152 to #6,371.
What does the Census say about the background of Bartel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Bartel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (4,762 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bartel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Bartel (2000, 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 Bartel mean?
From German, referring to someone who lived near or worked at a church or chapel. 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 Bartel (1.72 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 Americans have the surname Bartel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.