Christel last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Christel

A surname derived from a Germanic root meaning "little Christian".

Christel, 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 Christel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Christel in America

Christel is the 46314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Christel surname appeared 460 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 Christel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Christel 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 46314 42217 9.26%
Count 460 484 -5.08%
Proportion per 100k 0.16 0.18 -11.76%

The history of the last name Christel

The surname Christel is of German origin, originating in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is believed to have derived from the medieval German name Christel, which itself is a diminutive form of the name Christian. The name Christian has its roots in the Greek word "Χριστιανός" (Christianos), meaning "follower of Christ."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Christel dates back to the 14th century, where it appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg. In these records, a certain Hanns Christel is mentioned as a citizen of the city. It is likely that the surname originated as a way to distinguish individuals with the same first name, a common practice in medieval times.

In the 16th century, the surname Christel is found in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the Franconian region of Bavaria. Here, the name is spelled as "Christel" and appears in various municipal documents.

Notable historical figures with the surname Christel include Johann Christel (1598-1672), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. Another prominent individual was Hans Christel (1637-1707), a German architect and master builder who worked on several churches and castles in the Franconian region.

In the 19th century, the surname Christel is associated with Johann Jakob Christel (1810-1877), a German poet and writer from the town of Weikersheim in Baden-Württemberg. His works focused on the themes of nature and rural life.

Moving into the 20th century, one can find references to Erwin Christel (1891-1961), a German artist and printmaker known for his woodcut and linocut prints depicting landscapes and rural scenes. He was part of the artistic movement known as the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity).

Another notable figure with the surname Christel is Gerhard Christel (1921-2005), a German theologian and academic who served as a professor of theology at the University of Tübingen. He made significant contributions to the field of biblical studies and the study of the New Testament.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Christel

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

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 Christel was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.13% 433
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.96% 9
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.52% 7
Hispanic Origin 1.74% 8

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 Christel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.13% 95.66% -1.61%
Black 1.96% 2.69% -31.40%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.52% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.74% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Christel last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on April 24, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/christel-surname-popularity/.

"Christel last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/christel-surname-popularity/. Accessed 24 April, 2025

Christel last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/christel-surname-popularity/.

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