2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Krestel
A surname derived from the German word "Krestel" meaning a small falcon or merlin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Krestel. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krestel 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Krestel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krestel, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krestel
The surname Krestel originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle High German word "krestil," which means "throstle" or "song thrush." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname for someone who had a melodious voice or sang beautifully.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Krestel can be found in various German church records and municipal documents from the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, a certain Hans Krestel is mentioned in the records of the city of Nuremberg in 1487.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Krestel began to spread beyond its original region of origin, appearing in other parts of Germany as well as neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland. This was likely due to migration and the movement of people during this period.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Christoph Krestel (1701-1790), a German architect and engineer who was responsible for designing several important buildings in Dresden, including the Zwinger Palace and the Frauenkirche.
Another individual of historical significance was Karl August Krestel (1768-1845), a German painter and engraver who was particularly renowned for his landscapes and vedute (cityscape) paintings of Rome and other Italian cities.
In the 19th century, the Krestel surname also found its way to other parts of Europe and even overseas. For instance, there was a German-American artist named Konrad Krestel (1827-1892) who specialized in portrait painting and was active in New York City.
Other noteworthy individuals with the Krestel surname include the Austrian writer and journalist Josef Krestel (1884-1946), and the German scientist and inventor Karl Krestel (1920-2006), who made significant contributions to the field of aviation technology.
Throughout its history, the Krestel name has maintained a strong association with its German roots, although it has also been adopted by families in various other countries and cultures over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krestel
Among Census respondents with the surname Krestel, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Krestel 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 Krestel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krestel
Krestel appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+10 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,741 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 8,741 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 Krestel 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 | #153,769 | #145,028 | 5.7% |
| Count | 106 | 116 | 9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krestel bearers went from 106 to 116 (+9.4% change). The surname moved up 8,741 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,028.
FAQ
Krestel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krestel?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Krestel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Krestel?
Krestel ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Krestel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Krestel.
Has Krestel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krestel went from 106 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 10 (+9.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Krestel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krestel, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Krestel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krestel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Krestel (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 Krestel mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Krestel" meaning a small falcon or merlin. 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 Krestel (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 share the surname Krestel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.