2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dufel
A surname derived from the French word meaning "thump" or "strike".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Dufel. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dufel 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Dufel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufel, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dufel
The surname DUFEL is believed to have originated in Belgium, primarily in the region of Flanders. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "duffel," which refers to a coarse woolen cloth or a type of thick fabric that was historically produced in the town of Duffel, located in the Antwerp province of Belgium.
One of the earliest known references to the DUFEL surname can be found in the records of the town of Duffel itself, dating back to the late 13th century. These records mention individuals involved in the local cloth trade, indicating a potential connection between the surname and the town's renowned textile industry.
The Flemish town of Duffel, which lent its name to the fabric and subsequently the surname, has a rich history dating back to the 7th century. It was granted town privileges in 1267 and became a center for wool and cloth production, contributing to the region's economic prosperity.
In the 15th century, the DUFEL surname appeared in various historical documents across Flanders and the Low Countries. One notable individual was Jan DUFEL, a merchant and cloth trader born in Ghent around 1450. He was known for establishing trade routes and contributing to the expansion of the Flemish textile industry.
Another prominent figure from the 16th century was Pieter DUFEL, a renowned master weaver from Antwerp. His intricate tapestries and textiles were highly sought after by nobility and affluent families across Europe, further solidifying the DUFEL name's association with the textile trade.
In the 17th century, the DUFEL surname gained recognition beyond Flanders and the Low Countries. One example is Willem DUFEL, a Dutch merchant and explorer born in 1620 in Amsterdam. He is credited with establishing trade routes and settlements in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia).
As the centuries progressed, the DUFEL surname spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world through migration and exploration. Notable individuals include Friedrich DUFEL, a German botanist and naturalist born in 1788, who made significant contributions to the study of plant species in Central Europe.
In the 19th century, the DUFEL surname appeared in various historical records in the United States, likely due to immigration from Europe. One example is John DUFEL, born in 1832 in Pennsylvania, who served as a Union soldier during the American Civil War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dufel
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufel, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dufel 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 Dufel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 115
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dufel
Dufel 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,489 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,489 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,403 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 Dufel 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 | #142,108 | #143,511 | -1.0% |
| Count | 117 | 118 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dufel bearers went from 117 to 118 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #143,511.
FAQ
Dufel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dufel?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Dufel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Dufel?
Dufel ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Dufel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Dufel.
Has Dufel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dufel went from 117 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Dufel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufel, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are 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 Dufel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dufel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), 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 Dufel (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 Dufel mean?
A surname derived from the French word meaning "thump" or "strike". 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 Dufel (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 share the surname Dufel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.