2000
#4,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,532
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.42
Rare Last name
Mandel
A German and Jewish surname derived from a short form of the personal name Emanuel, meaning "God is with us."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,434 Americans carry the last name Mandel. That puts it at #5,204 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,106 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mandel 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 Mandel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,106
Census rank
#5,204
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,483 bearers of the surname Mandel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5204th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mandel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mandel
The surname Mandel originated in Germany and is derived from the German word "Mandel", meaning almond. It is believed to have been an occupational name for a person who grew, sold, or traded almonds.
In the Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from occupations, physical features, or places of origin. The name Mandel likely emerged during this period, indicating a connection to the almond trade or cultivation.
The earliest known record of the surname Mandel dates back to the 13th century in Bavaria, Germany. In 1287, a document from the town of Regensburg mentions a person named "Chunrad der Mandel".
Another early record of the name can be found in the 14th century "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis", a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. This codex includes references to individuals with the surname Mandel, indicating its presence in the region during that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Mandel throughout history include:
1. Johann Albrecht Mandel (1638-1701), a German composer and organist known for his contributions to Baroque music.
2. Georg Mandel (1642-1682), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Jena.
3. Antonie Mandel (1768-1838), a German author and translator who was active during the Romantic period.
4. Benjamin Mandel (1848-1932), a Polish-born American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Mandel Brothers department store chain in Chicago.
5. Otto Mandel (1901-1982), a German-American artist and illustrator known for his work in children's literature, including illustrations for several Dr. Seuss books.
The surname Mandel is also associated with various place names in Germany, such as Mandeln, a town in Bavaria, and Mandelbach, a small river in Baden-Württemberg. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa, reflecting the connection between surnames and geographic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mandel
Among Census respondents with the surname Mandel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mandel 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 Mandel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 5,996
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 258
- Two or more races1.8% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 67
- Black or African American0.6% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mandel
Mandel 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
#5,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,703
+171 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Down 272 places
2020
#5,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,483
-220 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Up 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,940 | 6,532 | 2.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,212 | 6,703 | 2.27 | +171 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 272 places |
| 2020 | #5,204 | 6,483 | 2.17 | -220 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 8 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 Mandel 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 | #5,212 | #5,204 | 0.2% |
| Count | 6,703 | 6,483 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.27 | 2.17 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mandel bearers went from 6,703 to 6,483 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,212 to #5,204.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mandel
FAQ
Mandel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mandel?
Name Census estimates that about 7,434 living Americans carry the surname Mandel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,106 residents.
How common is Mandel?
Mandel ranks #5,204 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,483 people with the surname Mandel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,434), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mandel.
Has Mandel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mandel went from 6,703 recorded bearers to 6,483. That is a decrease of 220 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,212 to #5,204.
What does the Census say about the background of Mandel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mandel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Mandel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (5,996 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mandel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Mandel (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 Mandel mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from a short form of the personal name Emanuel, meaning "God is with us." 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 Mandel (2.17 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 Mandel?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Mandel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.