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

Gele, 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 Gele surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gele in America

Gele is the 133048th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gele surname appeared 127 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 Gele.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gele 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 Gele

The surname GELE originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, derived from the Old German word "gel," meaning "yellow" or "golden." It was often used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with blonde or yellow hair.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded in various forms such as Gele, Gellen, and Gelen in records from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. The earliest known bearer was Heinrich Gelen, a landowner mentioned in a charter from the city of Nuremberg in 1267.

The GELE surname can be traced back to several place names in Germany, including Gelenberg, a village in the Rhineland region, and Gelenau, a town in Saxony. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

One notable historical figure with the surname GELE was Johannes Gele, a prominent scholar and theologian born in Erfurt, Germany, around 1380. He studied at the University of Paris and later became a professor at the University of Cologne.

In the 16th century, the GELE name appeared in records from the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as Geel or Gheel. One notable bearer was Pieter van Geel, a Dutch painter born in Antwerp in 1605, known for his still-life and genre paintings.

Another significant figure was Johann Georg Gele, a German composer and organist born in Saxony in 1680. He composed numerous sacred and secular works and served as the organist at the Frauenkirche in Dresden.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the GELE surname was also found in various regions of Switzerland, where it was sometimes spelled as Gäle or Gähle. One notable Swiss bearer was Johann Jakob Gele, a prominent clockmaker born in Bern in 1732.

In the 19th century, the GELE name appeared in records from the United States, likely due to German and Swiss immigration. One notable American with this surname was Johann Gele, a German-born farmer and landowner who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1840s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gele

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

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

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

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