2000
#67,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Fassel
A surname derived from the German word "Fassel" meaning a bundle or sheaf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 261 Americans carry the last name Fassel. That puts it at #87,624 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,313,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fassel 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
261
1 in 1,313,235
Census rank
#87,624
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
228
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 228 bearers of the surname Fassel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87624th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fassel, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fassel
The surname Fassel has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 14th century in regions of what is now modern-day Germany. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Fass," which referred to a barrel or cask, suggesting that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a cooper or barrel maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fassel can be found in the Bavarian town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the late 1300s, where a family by the name of Fassel lived and worked as coopers. In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical records and manuscripts from the Rhineland region, including mention of a Hans Fassel, a merchant from the city of Cologne.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the Fassel family spread across different parts of Europe, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Fassell, Fasl, and Fassl. This was common during that era due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects.
Notable individuals with the surname Fassel throughout history include Johann Fassel (1551-1618), a German theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg, and Wilhelm Fassel (1676-1738), a Baroque painter from the city of Nuremberg, renowned for his religious works and portraits.
In the 18th century, Michael Fassel (1719-1788) was a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a colonel in the Continental Army and fighting in several key battles alongside George Washington. Another noteworthy Fassel was August Fassel (1805-1876), a German-born American engineer who made significant contributions to the construction of railroads and bridges in the United States during the 19th century.
The name Fassel can also be found in historical records from other European countries, such as France and Switzerland, where it was likely introduced by German immigrants or traders. However, the majority of the early recorded instances of the surname are concentrated in various regions of Germany, reflecting its Germanic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fassel
Among Census respondents with the surname Fassel, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fassel 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 Fassel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 202
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 10
- Two or more races3.5% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fassel
Fassel 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
#80,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 236
-36 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 12,694 places
2020
#87,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 228
-8 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 7,205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67,725 | 272 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #80,419 | 236 | 0.08 | -36 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 12,694 places |
| 2020 | #87,624 | 228 | 0.08 | -8 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 7,205 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 Fassel 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 | #80,419 | #87,624 | -9.0% |
| Count | 236 | 228 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fassel bearers went from 236 to 228 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 7,205 positions in the national ranking, going from #80,419 to #87,624.
FAQ
Fassel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fassel?
Name Census estimates that about 261 living Americans carry the surname Fassel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,313,235 residents.
How common is Fassel?
Fassel ranks #87,624 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 228 people with the surname Fassel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Fassel.
Has Fassel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fassel went from 236 recorded bearers to 228. That is a decrease of 8 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #80,419 to #87,624.
What does the Census say about the background of Fassel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fassel, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Fassel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (202 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fassel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Fassel (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 Fassel mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Fassel" meaning a bundle or sheaf. 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 Fassel (0.08 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 Fassel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.