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

Friesel, 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 Friesel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Friesel in America

Friesel is the 87335th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Friesel surname appeared 213 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 Friesel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Friesel 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 Friesel

The surname Friesel is of German origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It likely originated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where the name was derived from the Old German word "frīsal," meaning "curly-haired" or "frizzy-haired." This suggests that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname for someone with curly or frizzy hair.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Lexikon (German Family Names Lexicon), where a certain Hainricus Frisel is mentioned in a document from Augsburg, Bavaria, dated 1349. The variations in spelling, such as Frysel and Frysell, were also common in historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in several church registers and tax records across southern Germany. For example, a Johannes Friesel is listed in a census from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, dated 1542. Additionally, a Caspar Friesel is recorded as a resident of Nuremberg in 1578.

Notable individuals with the surname Friesel include Hans Friesel (1564-1628), a German architect and stonemason who worked on several prominent buildings in Nuremberg during the Renaissance period. Another noteworthy figure is Johann Friesel (1619-1689), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on Protestant doctrine.

In the 18th century, the name appeared in various regions of Germany, with records showing a Johann Michael Friesel born in Hesse in 1726 and a Maria Magdalena Friesel born in Saxony in 1742. During this time, the surname also spread to other parts of Europe, including Austria and Switzerland.

One of the most prominent individuals with the Friesel surname was Karl Friesel (1847-1922), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Friesel & Sohn manufacturing company in Nuremberg. His company played a significant role in the production of machinery and equipment during the Industrial Revolution.

While the surname Friesel is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich historical background and can be traced back to the medieval period, when it was likely given as a descriptive nickname for an individual's physical appearance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Friesel

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

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 Friesel 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 Friesel 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 Friesel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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