2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Jenkel
A German occupational surname meaning thread-maker or string-maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Jenkel. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jenkel 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Jenkel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jenkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jenkel
The surname Jenkel originates from Germany, likely emerging in the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name Jenkel, a diminutive form of Johannes or John. This name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jenkel can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dating back to the late 15th century. A certain Hans Jenkel is mentioned as a resident of the city in 1487. In the nearby town of Bamberg, a Johann Jenkel is listed as a landholder in 1512.
The Jenkel surname also appears in several historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. In the church records of Erfurt, a baptismal entry from 1583 mentions a child named Christoph, son of Peter Jenkel. Additionally, a marriage record from 1627 in the town of Dresden lists a bride named Margarethe Jenkel.
Notable individuals bearing the Jenkel surname include Johann Jenkel (1532-1603), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another Johann Jenkel (1642-1718) was a German composer and organist, best known for his sacred works.
In the 18th century, Georg Jenkel (1717-1783) was a prominent architect from Dresden, responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the city. His son, Christian Jenkel (1748-1819), followed in his footsteps and became a respected architect as well.
Moving into the 19th century, Karl Jenkel (1832-1904) was a German chemist and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the synthetic dye industry. He founded the Jenkel Chemical Works in Berlin, which later became part of the Bayer corporation.
While the Jenkel surname originated in Germany, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and immigration. However, its roots and earliest documented examples can be traced back to the German regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it first emerged several centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jenkel
Among Census respondents with the surname Jenkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Jenkel 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 Jenkel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jenkel
Jenkel 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-11 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,997 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,722 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 16,997 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 4,722 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 Jenkel 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 | #137,327 | #142,049 | -3.4% |
| Count | 122 | 120 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jenkel bearers went from 122 to 120 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 4,722 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #142,049.
FAQ
Jenkel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jenkel?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Jenkel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Jenkel?
Jenkel ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Jenkel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Jenkel.
Has Jenkel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jenkel went from 122 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Jenkel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jenkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Jenkel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jenkel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Jenkel (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 Jenkel mean?
A German occupational surname meaning thread-maker or string-maker. 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 Jenkel (0.04 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 have the last name Jenkel?
You can see how many people have the surname Jenkel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.