2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Foerstel
A surname derived from a topographic name referring to someone living near a forest or wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Foerstel. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foerstel 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Foerstel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foerstel, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foerstel
The surname Foerstel is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the late Middle Ages, around the 14th century. It was initially found in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, particularly in the areas surrounding the Black Forest.
Foerstel is derived from the German word "Forst," meaning forest or woodland. It is believed that the name was initially given to those who lived near or worked in forested areas, perhaps as woodsmen, foresters, or rangers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the 15th-century chronicles of the city of Nürnberg, where a certain Hans Foerstel is mentioned as a respected landowner and farmer.
In the 16th century, the name Foerstel can be found in various records from the region surrounding the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, where it was sometimes spelled as "Förstel" or "Förstell."
A notable figure bearing this surname was Johann Foerstel (1576-1644), a prominent Lutheran theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Oehringen.
Another individual of note was Georg Foerstel (1633-1704), a skilled architect and stonemason who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the city of Stuttgart.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Foerstel family produced several accomplished musicians and composers, including Johann Christoph Foerstel (1679-1743), a respected organist and church music director in Augsburg.
In the 19th century, the name Foerstel was associated with a notable line of educators and scholars. Friedrich Foerstel (1812-1885), a renowned philologist and professor at the University of Heidelberg, made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature.
Another prominent figure was Heinrich Foerstel (1824-1901), a pioneering geologist and paleontologist who conducted extensive research on the fossils and geological formations found in the Black Forest region.
As the Foerstel family spread beyond Germany in later centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Förstel, Forstell, and Forstl, reflecting the linguistic influences of different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foerstel
Among Census respondents with the surname Foerstel, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Foerstel 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 Foerstel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foerstel
Foerstel 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-16 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,601 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+12 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,016 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 25,601 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 11,016 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 Foerstel 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 | #156,044 | #145,028 | 7.1% |
| Count | 104 | 116 | 11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foerstel bearers went from 104 to 116 (+11.5% change). The surname moved up 11,016 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #145,028.
FAQ
Foerstel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foerstel?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Foerstel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Foerstel?
Foerstel ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Foerstel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Foerstel.
Has Foerstel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foerstel went from 104 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 12 (+11.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Foerstel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foerstel, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Foerstel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foerstel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Hispanic (7.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Foerstel (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 Foerstel mean?
A surname derived from a topographic name referring to someone living near a forest or wood. 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 Foerstel (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 Americans have the surname Foerstel?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.