2000
#24,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 944
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Deibel
A surname derived from the German word meaning "devil" or "demon", possibly referring to an unpleasant temperament.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,071 Americans carry the last name Deibel. That puts it at #27,351 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 320,032 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deibel 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
1.1K
1 in 320,032
Census rank
#27,351
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
934
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 934 bearers of the surname Deibel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27351st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deibel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deibel
The surname Deibel is of German origin, with its earliest roots traced back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria. Derived from the German word "Deubel," meaning "devil" or "demon," the name was likely initially used as a nickname or a descriptive term for someone who was perceived as mischievous or troublesome.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Deibel surname can be found in the Bavarian town records of Augsburg, dating back to the late 1300s. These records document a family by the name of Deibel residing in the area, suggesting that the name had already been established as a recognized surname by that time.
During the Middle Ages, the Deibel name appeared in various historical documents and records across different regions of Germany. For instance, in 1492, a certain Johannes Deibel was mentioned in the court records of the town of Nuremberg, indicating the widespread usage of the surname throughout the German states.
In the 16th century, the Deibel family played a notable role in the Protestant Reformation movement in Germany. Johann Deibel (1499-1567), a Lutheran theologian and reformer, was a prominent figure who wrote extensively on religious matters and was closely associated with Martin Luther himself.
As the Deibel surname spread across Europe, it underwent several spelling variations, such as Deibler, Deible, and Döbel. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic traditions in different areas where the name became established.
Another notable bearer of the Deibel name was Johann Friedrich Deibel (1720-1795), a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of church music during the Baroque period. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were widely celebrated and performed throughout Germany and neighboring regions.
In the 19th century, the Deibel family gained prominence in the field of academia. Franz Deibel (1835-1912), a German linguist and philologist, was renowned for his groundbreaking work on the study of ancient Germanic languages and their influence on modern German dialects.
Throughout its long history, the Deibel surname has been associated with various professions, including craftsmen, merchants, academics, and religious figures, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deibel
Among Census respondents with the surname Deibel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Deibel 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 Deibel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 877
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 23
- Two or more races2.5% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deibel
Deibel 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
#26,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 935
-9 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 1,408 places
2020
#27,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 934
-1 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 1,180 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,763 | 944 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,171 | 935 | 0.32 | -9 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 1,408 places |
| 2020 | #27,351 | 934 | 0.31 | -1 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 1,180 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 Deibel 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 | #26,171 | #27,351 | -4.5% |
| Count | 935 | 934 | -0.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 0.31 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deibel bearers went from 935 to 934 (-0.1% change). The surname moved down 1,180 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,171 to #27,351.
FAQ
Deibel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deibel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,071 living Americans carry the surname Deibel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 320,032 residents.
How common is Deibel?
Deibel ranks #27,351 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 934 people with the surname Deibel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,071), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Deibel.
Has Deibel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deibel went from 935 recorded bearers to 934. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,171 to #27,351.
What does the Census say about the background of Deibel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deibel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Deibel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (877 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deibel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Deibel (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 Deibel mean?
A surname derived from the German word meaning "devil" or "demon", possibly referring to an unpleasant temperament. 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 Deibel (0.31 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 Deibel?
You can see how many people are called Deibel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.