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

Beckel, 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 Beckel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beckel in America

Beckel is the 24339th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beckel surname appeared 1,030 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 Beckel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beckel 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 Beckel

The surname Beckel is of German origin and is believed to have first emerged in the region of Bavaria during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old German word "bach," meaning a small stream or brook, and is thought to have originally referred to someone who lived near a small body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Beckel name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Emmerami, a medieval manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of St. Emmeram in Regensburg, Bavaria, which dates back to the 9th century. The document mentions a man named "Beckilo" who was a landowner in the area.

In the 12th century, the name appears in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Petri Salisburgensis, a collection of records from the monastery of St. Peter in Salzburg, Austria. This document includes references to individuals with the surnames "Becchel" and "Beckel."

During the 13th century, the name Beckel began to spread beyond Bavaria and became more prevalent in other parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Heinrich Beckel, who was born in the town of Erfurt, Thuringia, in 1250.

In the late 15th century, a notable figure named Johann Beckel (1435-1509) was a German theologian and one of the first Protestant reformers in Saxony. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the early years of the Protestant Reformation.

Another prominent individual with the Beckel surname was Christoph Beckel (1547-1619), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (chapel master) at the court of the Dukes of Saxony-Weimar. He is best known for his sacred vocal works and instrumental compositions.

In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Beckel (1722-1790) was a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Leipzig. He made significant contributions to the field of Roman law and was widely respected for his scholarly writings.

Across various regions of Germany, the name Beckel also evolved into different spellings and variations, such as Beckell, Beckl, and Beckler, which further attests to its long-standing presence in the country's history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beckel

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

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 Beckel 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 Beckel 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 Beckel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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