2000
#5,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,445
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Hensel
Derived from a German nickname meaning "knight," referring to a mounted warrior or nobleman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,574 Americans carry the last name Hensel. That puts it at #6,679 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,492 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hensel 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
5.6K
1 in 61,492
Census rank
#6,679
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,861 bearers of the surname Hensel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6679th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hensel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hensel
The surname HENSEL originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Hensel," which was a diminutive or nickname for Hans, a common German name that is the equivalent of John. The name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was small in stature or had a similar physical characteristic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HENSEL surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, Germany. In this manuscript, a person named "Heinricus dictus Hensel" is mentioned in a record from the year 1375.
The HENSEL surname has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Henslingen, a town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Henselerwitz, a village in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. These place names may have contributed to the development of the surname as people migrated from these areas.
Notable individuals with the surname HENSEL throughout history include Johann Daniel Hensel (1757-1833), a German painter and etcher known for his landscapes and architectural works. Johann Gottfried Hensel (1687-1776) was a German poet and pastor from Pomerania, while Wilhelm Hensel (1794-1861) was a German painter and writer who was married to the composer Fanny Mendelssohn, the sister of the famous composer Felix Mendelssohn.
In the field of science, Gregor Hensel (1549-1618) was a German mathematician and astronomer who made contributions to the development of logarithms and the study of comets. Additionally, Rebecca Hensel (1824-1872) was a German writer and translator who published works on various topics, including literature and history.
While the origins of the HENSEL surname can be traced back to medieval Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and other European countries, carried by individuals and families who emigrated from Germany over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hensel
Among Census respondents with the surname Hensel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hensel 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 Hensel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 4,491
- Two or more races3.0% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 141
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 36
- Black or African American0.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hensel
Hensel 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
#6,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,429
-16 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 475 places
2020
#6,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,861
-568 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 388 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,816 | 5,445 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,291 | 5,429 | 1.84 | -16 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 475 places |
| 2020 | #6,679 | 4,861 | 1.63 | -568 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 388 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 Hensel 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 | #6,291 | #6,679 | -6.2% |
| Count | 5,429 | 4,861 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.84 | 1.63 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hensel bearers went from 5,429 to 4,861 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 388 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,291 to #6,679.
FAQ
Hensel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hensel?
Name Census estimates that about 5,574 living Americans carry the surname Hensel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,492 residents.
How common is Hensel?
Hensel ranks #6,679 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,861 people with the surname Hensel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,574), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hensel.
Has Hensel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hensel went from 5,429 recorded bearers to 4,861. That is a decrease of 568 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,291 to #6,679.
What does the Census say about the background of Hensel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hensel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Hensel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (4,491 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hensel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Hensel (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 Hensel mean?
Derived from a German nickname meaning "knight," referring to a mounted warrior or nobleman. 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 Hensel (1.63 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 Hensel?
Find out how many people are called Hensel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.