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

Henschel, 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 Henschel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Henschel in America

Henschel is the 16494th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Henschel surname appeared 1,742 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Henschel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Henschel 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 Henschel

The surname Henschel originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded usage dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "henne," meaning "hen," and the diminutive suffix "-schel," suggesting a connection to a person who raised or worked with hens.

In the early days, the name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Saxony and Silesia, where it first appeared in historical records. The oldest known reference to the Henschel name can be found in the parish registers of the town of Bautzen, located in the present-day state of Saxony, dating back to the year 1548.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the Henschel surname was Hans Henschel, a farmer from the village of Kleinbautzen, who lived in the mid-16th century. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johann Henschel, a blacksmith from the town of Freiberg, who was born in 1612 and is mentioned in the town's guild records.

As the name spread throughout Germany, it also appeared in various spellings, such as Henschell, Henschl, and Henschele, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.

In the 18th century, the Henschel family gained prominence in the city of Kassel, where several members were prominent merchants and industrialists. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was August Henschel (1790-1856), who founded the Henschel & Sohn locomotive and machine manufacturing company in Kassel. This company played a significant role in the industrialization of Germany and produced some of the earliest steam locomotives and railway equipment.

Other notable bearers of the Henschel name include Johann Christian Henschel (1738-1798), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig, and Ernst Henschel (1890-1962), a German composer and conductor who was particularly renowned for his interpretations of works by Richard Wagner.

Throughout its history, the Henschel surname has been associated with various occupations, including farming, metalworking, and manufacturing, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Henschel

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

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

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

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