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

Hummel, 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 Hummel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hummel in America

Hummel is the 2453rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hummel surname appeared 14,715 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Hummel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hummel 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 Hummel

The surname Hummel is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "hummel" meaning "bumblebee". It likely originated as a nickname for someone who was thought to resemble a bumblebee in some way, perhaps due to their industrious nature or rotund figure.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany. One of the earliest known bearers was Heinrich Hummel, a burgher from Nuremberg who was mentioned in records from 1285.

During the medieval period, the name appears in numerous historical documents and records across German-speaking territories. For instance, a Conradus Hummel is listed in the 1395 tax records of the town of Esslingen am Neckar in Swabia.

By the 16th century, the Hummel surname had spread to other parts of Europe, including Austria and Switzerland. Notable bearers from this time include the Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837), who was born in Pressburg (now Bratislava, Slovakia) and achieved fame as a virtuoso pianist and composer.

In the 17th century, the name was also found among German immigrants to North America. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johann Adam Hummel, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1737 from the Palatinate region of Germany.

Other prominent individuals with the Hummel surname include the German artist Berta Hummel (1909-1946), known for her iconic figurines depicting children, and the American baseball player Rick Hummel (1942-2021), who played for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals.

The name Hummel has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Hummelsheim, a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, and Hummelsbach, a river in Baden-Württemberg, further highlighting its German roots and geographic distribution.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hummel

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

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

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

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