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

Gabel, 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 Gabel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gabel in America

Gabel is the 4907th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gabel surname appeared 7,177 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gabel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gabel 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 Gabel

The surname Gabel has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "gabel," meaning "fork" or "pitchfork." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with a pitchfork or a similar agricultural tool.

In medieval times, the Gabel name was concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomatic, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, where a person named "Henricus Gabel" is mentioned in a document dated 1283.

The Gabel surname also appears in some historical records from the region of Bavaria. In the 15th century, there is a record of a man named "Hans Gabel" who served as a military officer in the town of Nuremberg.

Another notable figure with the Gabel surname was Johannes Gabel, a Protestant theologian who lived in the 16th century (1516-1592). He was born in the town of Wittenberg, which was a center of the Protestant Reformation, and he played a role in the spread of Lutheranism in Germany.

In the 17th century, a family with the surname Gabel established themselves as prominent landowners in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. One member of this family, Friedrich von Gabel (1645-1713), was a Prussian military commander who served under King Frederick I.

Another historical figure with the Gabel surname was Franz Xaver Gabel (1763-1839), a German composer and music educator who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in the town of Mainz and is known for his contributions to the development of music education in Germany.

While the Gabel surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and immigration. However, its earliest origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was likely associated with agricultural occupations or activities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gabel

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

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

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

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