2000
#38,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 539
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Jaeckel
A German occupational surname referring to a shepherd or herdsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 605 Americans carry the last name Jaeckel. That puts it at #43,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 566,536 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jaeckel 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
605
1 in 566,536
Census rank
#43,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
528
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 528 bearers of the surname Jaeckel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaeckel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jaeckel
The surname Jaeckel has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Jackel," which means "small jacket" or "short coat." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname given to those who made or sold such garments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jaeckel can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, from the 14th century. In these documents, a certain Hans Jaeckel is mentioned as a resident of the city in the year 1376.
Throughout the centuries, the name Jaeckel has undergone various spelling variations, including Jäckel, Jaeckl, and Jäckl. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal interpretations.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Jaeckel was Johann Jaeckel, a German theologian and reformer born in 1518. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement.
Another prominent individual with the surname Jaeckel was Johann Georg Jaeckel, a German sculptor and woodcarver born in 1694. He was renowned for his intricate woodcarvings in churches and public buildings throughout Germany.
In the 19th century, a German composer named Carl Jaeckel (1837-1899) gained recognition for his instrumental works and contributions to the musical scene in Berlin.
The Jaeckel name also made its way to other parts of Europe and beyond. One notable figure was Rudolf Jaeckel (1855-1929), an Austrian architect who designed several prominent buildings in Vienna, including the Anker Palace and the Anker Clock.
Another individual of note was Gustav Jaeckel (1874-1957), a German-American painter and illustrator who gained fame for his depictions of Native American life and landscapes in the American West.
While the Jaeckel surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other countries, due to immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jaeckel
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaeckel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jaeckel 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 Jaeckel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 484
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 21
- Two or more races3.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jaeckel
Jaeckel 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
#39,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 551
+12 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 1,250 places
2020
#43,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 528
-23 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 4,109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,587 | 539 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,837 | 551 | 0.19 | +12 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 1,250 places |
| 2020 | #43,946 | 528 | 0.18 | -23 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 4,109 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 Jaeckel 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 | #39,837 | #43,946 | -10.3% |
| Count | 551 | 528 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.18 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jaeckel bearers went from 551 to 528 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 4,109 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,837 to #43,946.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jaeckel
FAQ
Jaeckel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jaeckel?
Name Census estimates that about 605 living Americans carry the surname Jaeckel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 566,536 residents.
How common is Jaeckel?
Jaeckel ranks #43,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 528 people with the surname Jaeckel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (605), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Jaeckel.
Has Jaeckel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jaeckel went from 551 recorded bearers to 528. That is a decrease of 23 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,837 to #43,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Jaeckel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaeckel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Jaeckel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (484 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jaeckel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Jaeckel (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 Jaeckel mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a shepherd or herdsman. 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 Jaeckel (0.18 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 common is the surname Jaeckel?
If you just want to know how common the surname Jaeckel is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.