2000
#109,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Bichel
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Bickel" meaning a baker or baker's assistant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 182 Americans carry the last name Bichel. That puts it at #116,252 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,883,266 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bichel 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
182
1 in 1,883,266
Census rank
#116,252
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
159
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 159 bearers of the surname Bichel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 116252nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bichel, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bichel
The surname Bichel originated in the northern German region of Schleswig-Holstein. Its origins can be traced back to the early 14th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "biche," which means "beech tree." It was likely first used as a surname to identify someone who lived near a prominent beech tree or in an area with a large number of beech trees.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Bichel surname is found in the Lübecker Bürgerbuch, a citizen registry from the city of Lübeck, dating back to 1347. The entry lists a "Johannes Bichel" as a resident of the city.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in several historical records from the region, including the Kirchenbücher (church books) of various parishes in Schleswig-Holstein. One notable example is Hans Bichel, born in 1432 in the village of Kiel, who was a respected farmer and landowner.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Bichel surname spread to other parts of northern Germany, particularly the neighboring regions of Mecklenburg and Pomerania. This period saw the emergence of several prominent individuals with the name, such as Joachim Bichel (1546-1619), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Rostock.
Another noteworthy figure was Caspar Bichel (1578-1644), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can still be found in various churches and museums across northern Germany.
In the 18th century, the Bichel surname gained recognition beyond the borders of Germany. Johann Heinrich Bichel (1707-1781), a German merchant and explorer, was among the first Europeans to establish trade routes with the indigenous peoples of Australia and the Pacific Islands.
As the centuries passed, the Bichel name continued to spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world through migration and emigration. Notable individuals with this surname include Friedrich Bichel (1834-1892), a German-American architect who designed several iconic buildings in Chicago, and Gerhard Bichel (1898-1981), a German philosopher and author who wrote extensively on existentialism and phenomenology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bichel
Among Census respondents with the surname Bichel, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bichel 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 Bichel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 7
- Two or more races2.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bichel
Bichel 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-22 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,133 places
2020
#116,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
+32 bearers (+25.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 16,796 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,915 | 149 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 23,133 places |
| 2020 | #116,252 | 159 | 0.05 | +32 bearers (+25.2%) | Up 16,796 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 Bichel 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 | #133,048 | #116,252 | 12.6% |
| Count | 127 | 159 | 25.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 33.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bichel bearers went from 127 to 159 (+25.2% change). The surname moved up 16,796 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #116,252.
FAQ
Bichel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bichel?
Name Census estimates that about 182 living Americans carry the surname Bichel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,883,266 residents.
How common is Bichel?
Bichel ranks #116,252 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 159 people with the surname Bichel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Bichel.
Has Bichel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bichel went from 127 recorded bearers to 159. That is an increase of 32 (+25.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #133,048 to #116,252.
What does the Census say about the background of Bichel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bichel, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Bichel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bichel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Bichel (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 Bichel mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Bickel" meaning a baker or baker's assistant. 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 Bichel (0.05 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 have the last name Bichel?
See how many people are called Bichel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.