Kissell last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Kissell

A German occupational surname referring to a maker of a large vat or tub, derived from the Middle High German "kizzil."

Kissell, 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 Kissell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kissell in America

Kissell is the 13166th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kissell surname appeared 2,322 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kissell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kissell 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 13166 13830 -4.92%
Count 2,322 2,005 14.65%
Proportion per 100k 0.79 0.74 6.54%

The history of the last name Kissell

The surname Kissell originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the areas now known as Germany and Switzerland. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "kusse," meaning "cushion" or "pillow."

The earliest recorded instances of the name Kissell can be traced back to the 13th century in various German town and village records. One notable example is a mention of a "Heinrich Kissell" in the Augsburg tax records of 1287.

As the name spread across Europe, various spelling variations emerged, such as Kissel, Kiessel, and Küssel. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes.

In the 16th century, the Kissell surname made its way to England, where it was recorded as "Kyssell" in the parish records of Gloucestershire in 1542. This early English spelling variation likely resulted from the anglicization of the German pronunciation.

Notable individuals with the surname Kissell throughout history include:

  1. Johann Kissell (1598-1662), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg.
  2. Christoph Kissell (1732-1807), a Swiss clockmaker renowned for his intricate timepieces.
  3. Wilhelm Kissell (1822-1889), a German-born American Civil War veteran who fought for the Union Army.
  4. Anna Kissell (1874-1958), a pioneering German-American educator and advocate for women's rights.
  5. Ernst Kissell (1909-1997), a German-born American physicist who contributed to the development of radar technology during World War II.

While the surname Kissell is not among the most common, it has left its mark on various regions and historical periods, reflecting the rich cultural diversity and migration patterns of its bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kissell

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

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 Kissell was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.61% 2,220
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.39% 9
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.26% 6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.86% 20
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.86% 20
Hispanic Origin 2.02% 47

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 Kissell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.61% 96.76% -1.20%
Black 0.39% 0.35% 10.81%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.26% 0.50% -63.16%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.86% 0.65% 27.81%
Two or More Races 0.86% 0.65% 27.81%
Hispanic 2.02% 1.10% 58.97%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Kissell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/kissell-surname-popularity/.

"Kissell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/kissell-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Kissell last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/kissell-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.