2000
#15,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,716
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Hagel
A German surname derived from the word "hagel" meaning hail or pellets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,853 Americans carry the last name Hagel. That puts it at #17,160 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 184,973 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hagel 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
1.9K
1 in 184,973
Census rank
#17,160
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,616 bearers of the surname Hagel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17160th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hagel
The surname "HAGEL" is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "hagel," which means "hail." This word is believed to have its roots in the Old High German "hagal" and the Proto-Germanic "hag(a)laz," both of which refer to the precipitation form of small pellets of ice.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "HAGEL" can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. One of the earliest documented references is found in the medieval records of the city of Cologne, where a Johannes Hagel is mentioned as a resident in the year 1283.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the records of the town of Memmingen in Bavaria, where a Cunrat Hagel is listed as a citizen in 1367. This suggests that the name had already spread to different parts of Germany by that time.
The surname "HAGEL" is also found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, where a Hanns Hagel is mentioned in a document from 1492. This document is notable for providing an early example of the surname's association with a specific individual.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the surname "HAGEL" was Johann Hagel, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1492 to 1554. He was a prominent figure in the Reformation movement and wrote several influential works on theology and ethics.
Another historical figure with the surname "HAGEL" was Konrad Hagel, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1546 to 1618. He is known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings, many of which depicted religious scenes and portraits.
In the 17th century, the name "HAGEL" appears in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Hans Hagel is mentioned in a trade document from 1671. This suggests that the surname had gained a presence in the mercantile circles of northern Germany by that time.
A notable bearer of the surname in the 18th century was Johann Friedrich Hagel, a German composer and organist who lived from 1737 to 1807. He is known for his compositions for the organ and his contributions to the development of church music in Germany.
In the 19th century, the surname "HAGEL" gained prominence in the field of literature, with the German writer and poet Konrad Hagel (1819-1887) being one of the most well-known figures. His works, which included poetry and novels, often explored themes of nature and rural life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hagel
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hagel 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 Hagel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,479
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 62
- Two or more races2.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 15
- Black or African American0.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hagel
Hagel 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
#17,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,602
-114 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 1,919 places
2020
#17,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,616
+14 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Up 399 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,640 | 1,716 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,559 | 1,602 | 0.54 | -114 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 1,919 places |
| 2020 | #17,160 | 1,616 | 0.54 | +14 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 399 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 Hagel 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 | #17,559 | #17,160 | 2.3% |
| Count | 1,602 | 1,616 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.54 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hagel bearers went from 1,602 to 1,616 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 399 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,559 to #17,160.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hagel
FAQ
Hagel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hagel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,853 living Americans carry the surname Hagel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 184,973 residents.
How common is Hagel?
Hagel ranks #17,160 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,616 people with the surname Hagel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,853), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hagel.
Has Hagel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hagel went from 1,602 recorded bearers to 1,616. That is an increase of 14 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,559 to #17,160.
What does the Census say about the background of Hagel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hagel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,479 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hagel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hagel (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 Hagel mean?
A German surname derived from the word "hagel" meaning hail or pellets. 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 Hagel (0.54 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 Hagel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Hagel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.