2000
#4,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,776
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.51
Rare Last name
Gabel
Derived from the Middle High German word "gabel," referring to a pitchfork or fork-shaped terrain feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,232 Americans carry the last name Gabel. That puts it at #5,333 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,394 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gabel 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
7.2K
1 in 47,394
Census rank
#5,333
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,307 bearers of the surname Gabel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5333rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gabel
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gabel 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 Gabel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 5,769
- Two or more races3.4% · 216
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 35
- Black or African American0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gabel
Gabel 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
#4,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,177
+401 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.43
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#5,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,307
-870 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 426 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,775 | 6,776 | 2.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,907 | 7,177 | 2.43 | +401 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #5,333 | 6,307 | 2.11 | -870 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 426 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 Gabel 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 | #4,907 | #5,333 | -8.7% |
| Count | 7,177 | 6,307 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.43 | 2.11 | -13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gabel bearers went from 7,177 to 6,307 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 426 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,907 to #5,333.
FAQ
Gabel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gabel?
Name Census estimates that about 7,232 living Americans carry the surname Gabel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,394 residents.
How common is Gabel?
Gabel ranks #5,333 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,307 people with the surname Gabel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,232), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gabel.
Has Gabel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gabel went from 7,177 recorded bearers to 6,307. That is a decrease of 870 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,907 to #5,333.
What does the Census say about the background of Gabel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Gabel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (5,769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gabel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Gabel (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 Gabel mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "gabel," referring to a pitchfork or fork-shaped terrain feature. 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 Gabel (2.11 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 people are called Gabel?
See how many people are called Gabel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.