Find out how popular the last name Essel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Essel.

Essel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Essel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Essel in America

Essel is the 79846th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Essel surname appeared 238 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Essel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Essel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Essel

The surname Essel is of German origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Essel," which means "donkey" or "ass." This name was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who exhibited characteristics or physical traits reminiscent of a donkey, such as stubbornness or strength.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Essel can be found in the town records of Cologne, Germany, dating back to 1287, where a person named Henrich Essel is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Würzburg municipal archives from 1311, which lists a Kunrad Essel.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. During this time, the spelling variations included Essell, Esell, and Ezel. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and phonetic changes over time.

A notable bearer of the Essel name was Johann Essel, a German cartographer and mathematician who lived from 1566 to 1624. He is best known for his work "Novae Terrae Descriptio" (Description of a New Land), which was one of the first detailed maps of the Americas.

Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Essel, a German industrialist and founder of the Essel Group, a conglomerate involved in various industries, including steel, chemicals, and machinery. He was born in 1861 and passed away in 1934.

In the 16th century, the name Essel was also found in some place names, such as Esselbach, a small town in Bavaria. This suggests that some families may have derived their surname from the place where they lived or originated.

Other notable bearers of the Essel surname include:

1. Friedrich Essel (1805-1887), a German politician and lawyer.
2. Theodor Essel (1868-1943), a German painter and printmaker.
3. Hans Essel (1900-1973), a German writer and filmmaker.
4. Elsa Essel (1902-1983), a German-American painter and textile artist.
5. Karl Essel (1911-1994), a German film director and screenwriter.

While the surname Essel is of German origin, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and has been adopted by families of different ethnicities and nationalities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Essel

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Essel.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Essel was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Essel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Essel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Essel, please contact us.

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