2000
#29,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 744
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Fandel
A surname derived from a German or Dutch word meaning "flag bearer" or "standard bearer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 875 Americans carry the last name Fandel. That puts it at #32,340 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 391,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fandel 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
875
1 in 391,719
Census rank
#32,340
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
763
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 763 bearers of the surname Fandel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32340th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fandel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fandel
The surname Fandel has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "fanden" or "fante," meaning "to go" or "to travel," and the suffix "-el," which was a common diminutive used to form surnames. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who traveled frequently or worked as a messenger or courier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fandel can be found in a document from the year 1287, which mentions a person named Henricus Fandel living in the region of Bavaria. In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Fandele, Fandeln, and Fandle, in records from different parts of southern Germany.
The Fandel surname is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Fandelen, a village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Fandelhof, a former settlement near the town of Weiden in Bavaria. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
In the 16th century, a notable individual bearing the Fandel surname was Hans Fandel (1505-1572), a German artist and painter who was known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can still be found in churches and museums across Germany and Austria.
Another prominent figure with the Fandel surname was Johann Fandel (1743-1813), a German composer and organist who was active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is particularly remembered for his contributions to sacred music and his compositions for organ.
In the 19th century, the Fandel surname gained wider recognition with the birth of Wilhelm Fandel (1834-1909), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Fandel & Co. steel company in Solingen. His successful enterprise played a significant role in the development of the steel industry in the region.
As the Fandel surname spread beyond Germany, it also found its way into other European countries. For example, in the late 19th century, a Swedish engineer named Carl Fandel (1865-1942) made significant contributions to the development of the hydroelectric power industry in Sweden.
Throughout history, the Fandel surname has been associated with various professions and achievements, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fandel
Among Census respondents with the surname Fandel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fandel 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 Fandel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 711
- Two or more races2.4% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fandel
Fandel 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
#30,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 755
+11 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 1,010 places
2020
#32,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 763
+8 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 1,515 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,815 | 744 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,825 | 755 | 0.26 | +11 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 1,010 places |
| 2020 | #32,340 | 763 | 0.26 | +8 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 1,515 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 Fandel 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 | #30,825 | #32,340 | -4.9% |
| Count | 755 | 763 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.26 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fandel bearers went from 755 to 763 (+1.1% change). The surname moved down 1,515 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,825 to #32,340.
FAQ
Fandel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fandel?
Name Census estimates that about 875 living Americans carry the surname Fandel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 391,719 residents.
How common is Fandel?
Fandel ranks #32,340 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 763 people with the surname Fandel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (875), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Fandel.
Has Fandel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fandel went from 755 recorded bearers to 763. That is an increase of 8 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,825 to #32,340.
What does the Census say about the background of Fandel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fandel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Fandel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fandel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Fandel (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 Fandel mean?
A surname derived from a German or Dutch word meaning "flag bearer" or "standard bearer." 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 Fandel (0.26 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 Americans have the surname Fandel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.