2000
#13,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Immel
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone who lived near an anthive or beekeeping area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,371 Americans carry the last name Immel. That puts it at #13,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,561 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Immel 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
2.4K
1 in 144,561
Census rank
#13,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,068 bearers of the surname Immel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Immel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Immel
The surname Immel is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "immi," which translates to "bee" or "honey." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to a beekeeper or someone involved in the production or trade of honey.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Immel can be found in the medieval town records of Nuremberg, dating back to the 13th century. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Immel, Immell, and Ymmel, reflecting the regional variations in language and pronunciation at the time.
In the 14th century, an Immel family is mentioned in the archives of the city of Regensburg, where they were documented as landowners and respected citizens. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a reputable surname among the German nobility and middle class.
During the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation played a significant role in the spread of the Immel surname. Several individuals bearing this name were prominent figures in the religious movement, including Johann Immel (1490-1558), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony.
Another notable figure was Hans Immel (1570-1635), a German artist and printmaker known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes. His work was widely celebrated and can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
As the centuries progressed, the Immel surname continued to spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions. In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Immel (1725-1792) was a renowned composer and organist from Saxony, renowned for his contributions to the development of church music.
Crossing into the 19th century, one of the most prominent individuals bearing the Immel surname was August Immel (1810-1885), a German-American industrialist and entrepreneur. He founded the Immel Wagon Works in Cincinnati, Ohio, which became one of the largest manufacturers of horse-drawn carriages and wagons in the United States.
The Immel surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Immelborn, a small village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Immelstadt, a town in Bavaria. These locations may have served as the ancestral homes for different branches of the Immel family, further contributing to the spread and recognition of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Immel
Among Census respondents with the surname Immel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Immel 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 Immel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 1,933
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 63
- Two or more races2.6% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Immel
Immel 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
#13,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,262
+117 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 380 places
2020
#13,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,068
-194 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,082 | 2,145 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,462 | 2,262 | 0.77 | +117 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 380 places |
| 2020 | #13,963 | 2,068 | 0.69 | -194 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 501 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 Immel 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 | #13,462 | #13,963 | -3.7% |
| Count | 2,262 | 2,068 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.69 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Immel bearers went from 2,262 to 2,068 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 501 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,462 to #13,963.
FAQ
Immel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Immel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,371 living Americans carry the surname Immel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,561 residents.
How common is Immel?
Immel ranks #13,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,068 people with the surname Immel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,371), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Immel.
Has Immel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Immel went from 2,262 recorded bearers to 2,068. That is a decrease of 194 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,462 to #13,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Immel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Immel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Immel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (1,933 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Immel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Immel (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 Immel mean?
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone who lived near an anthive or beekeeping area. 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 Immel (0.69 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 share the surname Immel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.