2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gumpel
A surname of Yiddish origin, perhaps a diminutive form of "Gumprecht" meaning "peaceful".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Gumpel. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gumpel 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Gumpel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gumpel, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gumpel
The surname GUMPEL is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Yiddish given name "Gumpel," which itself is derived from the Hebrew word "Gompal," meaning "wick" or "straw." The name was likely given as a descriptive name, either referring to someone who worked with straw or wicks, or perhaps someone with straw-colored hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GUMPEL surname can be found in the town of Worms, Germany, in a document from 1568 that mentions a certain "Gumpel Levi." In the following century, the name appears in various records from the German states of Hesse and Bavaria.
In the 18th century, the GUMPEL name can be found in the town of Altona, now part of Hamburg, Germany. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Abraham GUMPEL (1696-1769), a prominent Jewish rabbi and scholar who served as the head of the Altona Jewish community.
As the GUMPEL family spread throughout Germany and beyond, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as GUMPEL, GUMPEL, and GUMPEL. Some members of the family also adopted the name GUMPELSON, indicating their lineage from a GUMPEL ancestor.
In the 19th century, the GUMPEL name made its way to the United States, with early immigrants settling in cities like New York and Philadelphia. One notable American bearer of the name was Solomon GUMPEL (1822-1907), a successful businessman and philanthropist who founded the GUMPEL Charitable Trust in Philadelphia.
Other notable individuals with the GUMPEL surname include:
1. Isaak GUMPEL (1790-1862), a German-Jewish writer and educator from Hannover.
2. Moritz GUMPEL (1834-1909), a German-American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
3. Hermine GUMPEL (1878-1944), an Austrian artist and sculptor known for her portraiture work.
4. Ernst GUMPEL (1892-1980), a German-American philosopher and author who taught at several universities in the United States.
5. Kurt GUMPEL (1913-1995), a German-American physicist and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology.
While the GUMPEL name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Israel, and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gumpel
Among Census respondents with the surname Gumpel, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gumpel 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 Gumpel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino12.8% · 15
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gumpel
Gumpel 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+11 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 756 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-13 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,660 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 756 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 13,660 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 Gumpel 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 | #130,610 | #144,270 | -10.5% |
| Count | 130 | 117 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gumpel bearers went from 130 to 117 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 13,660 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #144,270.
FAQ
Gumpel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gumpel?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Gumpel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Gumpel?
Gumpel ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Gumpel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gumpel.
Has Gumpel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gumpel went from 130 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gumpel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gumpel, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gumpel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gumpel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Hispanic (12.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gumpel (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 Gumpel mean?
A surname of Yiddish origin, perhaps a diminutive form of "Gumprecht" meaning "peaceful". 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 Gumpel (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Gumpel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.