2000
#14,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,920
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Dunkel
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "dark," referring to a person with dark hair or a dark complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,131 Americans carry the last name Dunkel. That puts it at #15,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunkel 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
2.1K
1 in 160,842
Census rank
#15,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,858 bearers of the surname Dunkel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunkel
The surname Dunkel has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "tunkel," which means "dark" or "obscure." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
Dunkel is a relatively common name in German-speaking regions, particularly in areas like Bavaria, Saxony, and parts of Austria. In the Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from physical characteristics, occupations, or places of origin, and Dunkel likely emerged as a descriptive surname in this context.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dunkel can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of documents from the medieval period in Saxony. In this source, the name "Tunckelius" is mentioned in a record from the year 1292, referring to a person residing in the town of Grimma.
Another notable historical figure bearing the name Dunkel was Johannes Dunkel, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1492 to 1559. He was a prominent figure during the Reformation and authored several works on religious doctrine and theology.
In the 16th century, the Dunkel name also appeared in records from the city of Augsburg, where a family of merchants and traders used the variant spelling "Dungkel." This suggests that the name may have had different regional variations at the time.
During the 17th century, a notable figure named Johann Dunkel (1629-1699) was a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Dukes of Saxe-Weimar. He composed several sacred works and was highly regarded in his time.
Another individual of historical significance was Christoph Dunkel (1685-1747), a German architect and master builder who was active in the Baroque period. He designed several churches and public buildings in the region around Würzburg, and his work is recognized as an important part of the architectural heritage of that area.
In the 19th century, a German botanist named Wilhelm Dunkel (1820-1892) made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and systematics. He described and classified numerous plant species, and his research was widely respected in the scientific community of his time.
Throughout its history, the surname Dunkel has maintained a strong presence in German-speaking regions and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and professionals. While the name may have originated as a descriptive term, it has since become a distinct and recognizable surname with a rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunkel
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunkel 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 Dunkel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,686
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 88
- Two or more races2.9% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunkel
Dunkel 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
#14,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,079
+159 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 64 places
2020
#15,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,858
-221 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 835 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,314 | 1,920 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,378 | 2,079 | 0.70 | +159 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 64 places |
| 2020 | #15,213 | 1,858 | 0.62 | -221 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 835 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 Dunkel 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 | #14,378 | #15,213 | -5.8% |
| Count | 2,079 | 1,858 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.62 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunkel bearers went from 2,079 to 1,858 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 835 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,378 to #15,213.
FAQ
Dunkel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunkel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,131 living Americans carry the surname Dunkel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,842 residents.
How common is Dunkel?
Dunkel ranks #15,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,858 people with the surname Dunkel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dunkel.
Has Dunkel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunkel went from 2,079 recorded bearers to 1,858. That is a decrease of 221 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,378 to #15,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunkel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Dunkel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunkel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Dunkel (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 Dunkel mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "dark," referring to a person with dark hair or a dark complexion. 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 Dunkel (0.62 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 Dunkel?
You can see how common the surname Dunkel is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.