2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gehrels
A Dutch surname derived from the word "gehrel" meaning "zealous" or "eager."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Gehrels. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gehrels 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Gehrels in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehrels, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gehrels
The surname GEHRELS is of Dutch origin, tracing its roots back to the Netherlands in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "gehre," which refers to a type of reed or sedge plant, suggesting that the name may have originally been associated with people who lived near or worked with these types of plants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GEHRELS can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it appeared in a document from the late 1500s. This document mentions a family by the name of "Gehrels" residing in the town of Leeuwarden, which was a prominent city in the region during that time period.
In the 17th century, the name GEHRELS began to spread to other parts of the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe. Records from this era show variations in spelling, such as "Gehreels" and "Gehreels," which further supports the connection to the Dutch word "gehre."
One notable individual bearing the GEHRELS surname was Pieter Gehrels, a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1635 to 1707. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and was among the first to calculate the orbit of the famous Halley's Comet.
Another person of historical significance with the GEHRELS name was Jacobus Gehrels, a Dutch theologian and philosopher who lived from 1771 to 1837. He was a prominent figure in the Dutch Reformed Church and authored several influential works on religious and philosophical topics.
In the 19th century, the GEHRELS name began to appear in other parts of Europe, as well as in North America, likely due to immigration from the Netherlands. One example is Willem Gehrels, a Dutch-American astronomer who was born in 1925 and made significant contributions to the study of asteroids and comets.
Thomas Gehrels, a Dutch-American planetary scientist and astronomer who lived from 1925 to 2011, was another notable figure with the GEHRELS surname. He played a crucial role in the exploration of the solar system through his work with NASA and the study of asteroids and comets.
While the GEHRELS name has its origins in the Netherlands, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various fields, from science and academia to literature and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gehrels
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehrels, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gehrels 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 Gehrels surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 9
- Two or more races6.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gehrels
Gehrels 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+19 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,940 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-19 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,451 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 9,940 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 16,451 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 Gehrels 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 | #138,304 | #154,755 | -11.9% |
| Count | 121 | 102 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gehrels bearers went from 121 to 102 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 16,451 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #154,755.
FAQ
Gehrels surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gehrels?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Gehrels. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Gehrels?
Gehrels ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Gehrels. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Gehrels.
Has Gehrels become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gehrels went from 121 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Gehrels?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehrels, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Gehrels in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gehrels appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Hispanic (8.8%), Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Gehrels (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 Gehrels mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the word "gehrel" meaning "zealous" or "eager." 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 Gehrels (0.03 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 have the surname Gehrels?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.