2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Henchel
An English surname derived from a German place name referring to a person from the town of Hengelo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Henchel. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Henchel 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Henchel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Henchel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Henchel
The surname Henchel originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Hengst," meaning "stallion" or "stud horse." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as an occupational surname for someone who worked with horses, such as a stable worker or a breeder.
Henchel was primarily found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where many early bearers of the name lived. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Regensburg, Bavaria, from the year 1587, where a certain Hans Henchel is mentioned as a resident.
During the 17th century, the name Henchel appeared in various church records and tax rolls across Germany. In 1623, a Johann Henchel was listed as a landowner in the village of Zwickau, Saxony. Another notable early bearer of the name was Georg Henchel, a respected blacksmith born in Nuremberg in 1642.
As the centuries progressed, the Henchel surname began to spread beyond Germany's borders. In the late 18th century, a family by the name of Henchel immigrated to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania. One of their descendants, Joseph Henchel (1795-1867), became a prominent farmer and landowner in Berks County.
Another notable individual with the Henchel surname was Friedrich Henchel (1810-1892), a German artist and engraver who gained recognition for his landscape paintings and etchings of various German cities.
In the 19th century, the Henchel name also appeared in the Netherlands, likely due to migration from Germany. One of the earliest Dutch bearers of the name was Willem Henchel (1825-1901), a successful merchant and shipping magnate based in Rotterdam.
While not as common as in Germany or the Netherlands, the Henchel surname can also be found in other parts of Europe, such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable example is Karl Henchel (1876-1942), an Austrian-born architect who designed several notable buildings in Vienna during the early 20th century.
Throughout its history, the Henchel surname has maintained a strong association with its German roots, despite its spread to other parts of the world. Its origins as an occupational name related to horses have been largely preserved, making it a unique and distinctive surname within the broader German-speaking communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Henchel
Among Census respondents with the surname Henchel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Henchel 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 Henchel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Henchel
Henchel 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+12 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,127 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 3,127 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 5,438 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 Henchel 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 | #146,201 | #151,639 | -3.7% |
| Count | 113 | 107 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Henchel bearers went from 113 to 107 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 5,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #151,639.
FAQ
Henchel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Henchel?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Henchel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Henchel?
Henchel ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Henchel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Henchel.
Has Henchel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Henchel went from 113 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Henchel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Henchel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Henchel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Henchel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Henchel (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 Henchel mean?
An English surname derived from a German place name referring to a person from the town of Hengelo. 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 Henchel (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 people have the last name Henchel?
If you just want to know how many people are called Henchel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.