2000
#57,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 328
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Mehle
An occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "mil(e)," meaning miller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 409 Americans carry the last name Mehle. That puts it at #60,850 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 838,030 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mehle 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
409
1 in 838,030
Census rank
#60,850
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
357
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 357 bearers of the surname Mehle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60850th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mehle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mehle
The surname MEHLE is believed to have originated in Germany. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Mühle," which means "mill." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or worked at a mill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MEHLE can be found in the town of Augsburg, Germany, in the late 15th century. A document from 1487 mentions a certain Hans Mehle, a miller by trade.
In the 16th century, the MEHLE surname began to spread across Germany and into neighboring regions. Records from this time show variations in spelling, including Mehlen, Mehl, and Mühlen.
One notable historical figure with the MEHLE surname was Johann Mehle, a German theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg in the late 16th century. He was born in 1555 and died in 1618.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Friedrich Mehle, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 18th century. He was born in 1704 and died in 1783.
In the 19th century, the MEHLE surname made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to North America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was in the 1850 census, which listed a family by the name of Mehle living in Pennsylvania.
A notable American with the MEHLE surname was William Mehle, a businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the late 19th century. He was born in 1837 and died in 1904.
Another significant figure was Karl Mehle, a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City in the early 20th century. He was born in 1869 and died in 1936.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mehle
Among Census respondents with the surname Mehle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mehle 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 Mehle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 327
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 5
- Two or more races1.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mehle
Mehle 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
#61,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 325
-3 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 3,760 places
2020
#60,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 357
+32 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 895 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,985 | 328 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,745 | 325 | 0.11 | -3 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 3,760 places |
| 2020 | #60,850 | 357 | 0.12 | +32 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 895 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 Mehle 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 | #61,745 | #60,850 | 1.4% |
| Count | 325 | 357 | 9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.12 | 8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mehle bearers went from 325 to 357 (+9.8% change). The surname moved up 895 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,745 to #60,850.
FAQ
Mehle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mehle?
Name Census estimates that about 409 living Americans carry the surname Mehle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 838,030 residents.
How common is Mehle?
Mehle ranks #60,850 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 357 people with the surname Mehle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (409), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Mehle.
Has Mehle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mehle went from 325 recorded bearers to 357. That is an increase of 32 (+9.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #61,745 to #60,850.
What does the Census say about the background of Mehle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mehle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%). 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 Mehle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mehle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (4.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%). 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 Mehle (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 Mehle mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "mil(e)," meaning miller. 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 Mehle (0.12 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 common is the surname Mehle?
You can see how many people have the last name Mehle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.