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

Insel, 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 Insel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Insel in America

Insel is the 88685th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Insel surname appeared 209 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 Insel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Insel 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 Insel

The surname "INSEL" is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "insel," meaning "island." The name likely originated in the 13th or 14th century, and was initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived on an island or came from an island.

Early records of the name can be found in various German regions, particularly in areas with a significant number of islands or located near major rivers or lakes. For instance, the name appears in historical documents from the Rhine and Elbe regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "INSEL" can be traced back to a merchant named Hans Insel, who lived in the city of Hamburg in the late 14th century. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johannes Insel, a scholar and theologian from the city of Cologne, who lived in the early 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name "INSEL" became more widespread across German-speaking regions, with variations in spelling such as "Insel," "Insell," and "Inseln" appearing in various records and documents.

Notable individuals with the surname "INSEL" throughout history include:

1. Heinrich Insel (1575-1644), a German composer and organist from the city of Nuremberg.
2. Amalie Insel (1789-1862), a German writer and poet from the state of Saxony.
3. Otto Insel (1832-1901), a German industrialist and businessman who founded the Insel Brewery in the city of Dresden.
4. Wilhelm Insel (1860-1937), a German artist and painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.
5. Theodor Insel (1893-1976), a German-born American architect who contributed to the development of the Art Deco style in the United States.

While the name "INSEL" has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Insel

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

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

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

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