2000
#19,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,242
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Kandel
A surname indicating the bearer or ancestor came from the German town of Kandel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,308 Americans carry the last name Kandel. That puts it at #14,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kandel 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kandel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,507
Census rank
#14,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,013 bearers of the surname Kandel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kandel, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kandel
The surname KANDEL is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the southern regions of the country. It is thought to have derived from the Middle High German word "kanto," which referred to an edge or border, possibly indicating that the name was originally given to someone who lived near a border or on the outskirts of a town or village.
One of the earliest known records of the KANDEL surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in various medieval documents and records from the region. It is possible that the name may have been associated with a specific place name, as many surnames during that time were based on the locations where people lived or came from.
In the 15th century, the KANDEL surname can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, which was a prominent center of trade and culture in Germany during the Renaissance period. This suggests that the family may have been involved in various industries or professions within the city.
One notable figure with the KANDEL surname was Johann Kandel (1516-1578), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a contemporary of Martin Luther and worked to spread the ideas of the Reformation throughout Germany.
Another individual of note was Christoph Kandel (1572-1631), a German composer and organist who lived during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. He is known for his sacred and instrumental works, many of which were composed for the court of the Dukes of Württemberg.
In the 18th century, the KANDEL surname appears in various records from the German states, including birth, marriage, and death registers. One example is Johann Philipp Kandel (1719-1781), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.
As the centuries progressed, the KANDEL surname spread throughout Germany and into neighboring countries, with individuals bearing the name contributing to various fields, including academia, arts, and literature. For instance, Eric Kandel (1929-), an Austrian-American neuroscientist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2000 for his research on the physiological basis of memory storage in neurons.
Throughout its history, the KANDEL surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Kandell, Kandl, and Kändel, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic changes over time. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its Germanic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kandel
Among Census respondents with the surname Kandel, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kandel 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 Kandel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.9% · 1,287
- Asian and Pacific Islander30.4% · 612
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 49
- Two or more races2.0% · 41
- Black or African American1.2% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kandel
Kandel 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
#19,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,426
+184 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 904 places
2020
#14,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,013
+587 bearers (+41.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 4,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,991 | 1,242 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,087 | 1,426 | 0.48 | +184 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 904 places |
| 2020 | #14,300 | 2,013 | 0.67 | +587 bearers (+41.2%) | Up 4,787 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 Kandel 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 | #19,087 | #14,300 | 25.1% |
| Count | 1,426 | 2,013 | 41.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.67 | 40.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kandel bearers went from 1,426 to 2,013 (+41.2% change). The surname moved up 4,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,087 to #14,300.
FAQ
Kandel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kandel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,308 living Americans carry the surname Kandel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,507 residents.
How common is Kandel?
Kandel ranks #14,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,013 people with the surname Kandel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,308), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Kandel.
Has Kandel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kandel went from 1,426 recorded bearers to 2,013. That is an increase of 587 (+41.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,087 to #14,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Kandel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kandel, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Kandel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.9% (1,287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kandel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (30.4%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Kandel (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 Kandel mean?
A surname indicating the bearer or ancestor came from the German town of Kandel. 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 Kandel (0.67 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 Kandel?
Want to know how many people are called Kandel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.