Diesel
A surname denoting an engine powered by compression ignition of fuel.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 343 Americans carry the last name Diesel. That puts it at #66,754 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 999,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Diesel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
343
1 in 999,284
Census rank
#66,754
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
296
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 296 bearers of the surname Diesel in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 66754th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Diesel, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Diesel
The surname Diesel is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages, specifically the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. The name is derived from the Old German word "disil," which means "thistle" or "prickly plant."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Diesel can be found in the Bavarian town of Augsburg, where a certain Hanns Diesel was mentioned in a tax record from 1387. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
In the 16th century, the name Diesel appeared in various historical documents across southern Germany, including church records and municipal archives. One notable example is the record of a Johannes Diesel, born in 1521 in the village of Unterrieden, near Augsburg.
The Diesel surname is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Dieslingen and Diesenbach, which may have contributed to the spread of the name across different regions.
As the centuries passed, the Diesel name gained prominence, and several individuals with this surname made significant contributions to various fields. One of the most famous bearers of the name is Rudolf Diesel, the German inventor and engineer who was born in 1858 in Paris, France, to Bavarian parents. He is best known for developing the diesel engine, which revolutionized the transportation industry.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Diesel, a German industrialist born in 1879, who played a crucial role in the development and production of diesel engines for various applications, including locomotives and ships.
In the realm of literature, Hans Diesel, born in 1901 in Munich, was a renowned German novelist and playwright, known for his works exploring social and political themes of the 20th century.
The name Diesel also has connections to the world of sports. Karl Diesel, born in 1935 in Ludwigshafen, Germany, was a successful football player who represented West Germany in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
Finally, in the field of academia, Erich Diesel, born in 1920 in Berlin, was a respected physicist and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of quantum mechanics and relativity theory.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Diesel
Among Census respondents with the surname Diesel, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Diesel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Diesel surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6%
- Unknown or suppressed2.4%
- Two or more races2.0%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Diesel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #43,290 | #66,754 | -54.2% |
| Count | 470 | 296 | -37.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.10 | -41.2% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Diesel bearers went from 470 to 296 (-37.0% change). The surname moved down 23,464 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,290 to #66,754.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Diesel
FAQ
Diesel surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Diesel?
The surname Diesel holds position #66,754 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 343 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Diesel surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Diesel, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.