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

Hormel, 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 Hormel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hormel in America

Hormel is the 57639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hormel surname appeared 353 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hormel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hormel 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 Hormel

The surname Hormel is of German origin, deriving from the old German words "Horn" and "Mell," which together translate to "hornblower." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have been involved in the craft of horn-blowing, a profession that was once essential for various ceremonial and practical purposes.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Hormel surname can be found in the records of the German city of Mainz, where a certain Johann Hormel was documented as a resident in the early 16th century. It is believed that the name may have originated in this region before spreading to other parts of Europe.

In the late 17th century, a branch of the Hormel family migrated to the Netherlands, where they established themselves in the city of Utrecht. Notable members of this Dutch line include Pieter Hormel (1647-1721), a respected merchant, and his son, Hendrik Hormel (1679-1748), who served as a alderman in Utrecht.

As the Hormel name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, including Hormell, Hormelle, and Hormelen. One notable bearer of these alternative spellings was the German philosopher and theologian Johann Christoph Hormelen (1696-1773), who was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church.

In the 19th century, the Hormel name found its way to the United States, with several immigrants bearing the surname arriving from Germany and other parts of Europe. One of the most famous American Hormels was George A. Hormel (1860-1946), the founder of the Hormel Foods Corporation, a major meat-processing company based in Austin, Minnesota.

Other notable individuals with the Hormel surname include:

1. Gerhard Hormel (1867-1946), a German-American businessman and brother of George A. Hormel, who played a significant role in the growth of Hormel Foods.
2. Alice Hooker Hormel (1874-1953), an American philanthropist and wife of George A. Hormel, who was actively involved in various charitable organizations.
3. Theodor Hormel (1876-1962), a German-American businessman and another brother of George A. Hormel, who served as the president of Hormel Foods from 1928 to 1954.
4. Gertrude Hormel (1891-1985), an American artist and illustrator, best known for her work in children's books and magazines.

While the Hormel surname has its roots in Germany and the Netherlands, it has since become well-established in various parts of the world, particularly in the United States, where it is closely associated with the successful Hormel Foods Corporation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hormel

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

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

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

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