2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Doebel
A German surname derived from a variant of the name "Diebold".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Doebel. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doebel 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Doebel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doebel, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doebel
The surname DOEBEL is of German origin and dates back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where it was initially spelled as "Döbel". The name is derived from the Old High German word "dubil", meaning "small hill" or "mound", suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a small hill or elevated area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DOEBEL can be found in the parish records of the town of Esslingen, near Stuttgart, in the year 1592. The entry mentions a certain "Hans Döbel", who was a farmer in the area. Another early reference is found in the town records of Bamberg in 1617, where a "Georg Döbel" is listed as a landowner.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as "Döbel", "Doebel", and "Doebele" appearing in different records across southern Germany. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or scribal errors.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure bearing the surname DOEBEL was Johann Adam Doebel (1747-1823), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg. His writings on ethics and metaphysics were widely read and influential during his time.
Another prominent individual with the surname DOEBEL was Friedrich Doebel (1826-1892), a German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in the city of Stuttgart, including the Königsbau palace and the Stadtgarten, a public park.
In the 19th century, the surname DOEBEL also appeared in records from the United States, likely due to German immigration. One example is Johann Michael Doebel (1820-1889), who was born in Württemberg and emigrated to Ohio in the 1840s, where he worked as a farmer and carpenter.
Another noteworthy figure is Wilhelm Doebel (1858-1942), a German-American businessman and philanthropist. He was born in Württemberg and later immigrated to the United States, where he founded the Doebel Brewing Company in New York City. Doebel was also involved in various charitable organizations and donated funds for the construction of several schools and hospitals.
While the surname DOEBEL has its origins in southern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, it remains relatively uncommon compared to other German surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doebel
Among Census respondents with the surname Doebel, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Doebel 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 Doebel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doebel
Doebel 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,872 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,872 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 3,182 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 Doebel 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 | #152,628 | #149,446 | 2.1% |
| Count | 107 | 110 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doebel bearers went from 107 to 110 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 3,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #149,446.
FAQ
Doebel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doebel?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Doebel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Doebel?
Doebel ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Doebel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Doebel.
Has Doebel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doebel went from 107 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Doebel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doebel, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Doebel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doebel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Doebel (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 Doebel mean?
A German surname derived from a variant of the name "Diebold". 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 Doebel (0.04 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 Doebel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Doebel is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.