2000
#13,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,017
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Hymel
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near an elm grove or by a notable elm tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,233 Americans carry the last name Hymel. That puts it at #14,669 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hymel 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
2.2K
1 in 153,495
Census rank
#14,669
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,947 bearers of the surname Hymel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14669th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hymel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hymel
The surname HYMEL has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "heimil," meaning "native" or "local." This suggests that the name was originally used to identify individuals who were born in a particular area or village.
The first documented instance of the name HYMEL can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dated around 1260. The name appears as "Heimel," which is likely an earlier spelling variation.
During the medieval period, the HYMEL surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia, located in present-day southern Germany. It is also recorded in various local chronicles and municipal records from towns and villages across these areas.
One notable early bearer of the name was Johann HYMEL, a merchant and alderman in the city of Augsburg in the 15th century. His name is mentioned in several city council records from the years 1472 to 1489.
In the 16th century, the HYMEL surname can be found in the Weimar Land Registry, a comprehensive record of landowners and residents in the region of Thuringia. This document lists several families with the surname, including Hans HYMEL (born circa 1510) and his son, Christoph HYMEL (born 1542).
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring countries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Heimel, Heymel, and Heimel. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and pronunciation patterns.
A notable figure in the 17th century was Johannes HYMEL, a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony. He was born in 1624 and published several works on religious subjects, including a commentary on the Book of Revelation.
In the 19th century, the HYMEL surname found its way to the United States through German immigration. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johann HYMEL, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1827, according to ship passenger lists.
Throughout history, the HYMEL surname has been associated with various professions and occupations, including merchants, landowners, artisans, and scholars. While not a particularly common name, it has maintained a presence across different regions and continues to be borne by individuals of German descent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hymel
Among Census respondents with the surname Hymel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hymel 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 Hymel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,815
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 92
- Two or more races0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hymel
Hymel 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
#14,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
+2 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 942 places
2020
#14,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,947
-72 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,771 | 2,017 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,713 | 2,019 | 0.68 | +2 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 942 places |
| 2020 | #14,669 | 1,947 | 0.65 | -72 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 44 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 Hymel 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 | #14,713 | #14,669 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,019 | 1,947 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.65 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hymel bearers went from 2,019 to 1,947 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,713 to #14,669.
FAQ
Hymel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hymel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,233 living Americans carry the surname Hymel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,495 residents.
How common is Hymel?
Hymel ranks #14,669 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,947 people with the surname Hymel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,233), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hymel.
Has Hymel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hymel went from 2,019 recorded bearers to 1,947. That is a decrease of 72 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,713 to #14,669.
What does the Census say about the background of Hymel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hymel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Hymel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,815 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hymel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Hymel (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 Hymel mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near an elm grove or by a notable elm tree. 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 Hymel (0.65 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 are called Hymel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Hymel is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.