2000
#11,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,574
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Mendel
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish male given name Mendel, which means "one who comforts or consoles."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,684 Americans carry the last name Mendel. That puts it at #12,598 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mendel 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 Mendel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,703
Census rank
#12,598
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,341 bearers of the surname Mendel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12598th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mendel
The surname Mendel has its origins in the German language, and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "mendel," which means "protector" or "defender." The name was initially prevalent in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Swabia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mendel can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, where it is mentioned as "Mendel de Norinberg." This suggests that the name was already in use in the city of Nuremberg during that time period.
The Mendel surname has also been linked to various place names in Germany, such as Mendelsheim and Mendelsbach. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Mendel name, who may have been influential or prominent figures in those areas.
Among the notable individuals who bore the Mendel surname throughout history is Gregor Johann Mendel (1822-1884), the Austrian monk and scientist widely regarded as the founder of modern genetics. His groundbreaking work on pea plant hybridization laid the foundation for our understanding of heredity and genetic inheritance.
Another prominent figure was Kurt Mendel (1874-1946), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. He served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) from 1912 to 1933.
In the realm of literature, Walther Mendel (1925-2008) was a German writer and poet, known for his works exploring themes of war, displacement, and the human condition. He received several literary awards throughout his career, including the Georg Büchner Prize in 1981.
The name Mendel has also been associated with the world of music. Arthur Mendel (1905-1979) was an American musicologist and educator, renowned for his contributions to the study of Baroque music and the works of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Lastly, the surname Mendel has been carried by notable figures in the field of law, such as Hans Mendel (1897-1969), a German lawyer and judge who played a significant role in the Nuremberg Trials, serving as a member of the prosecution team.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mendel
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mendel 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 Mendel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 2,091
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 149
- Two or more races2.6% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mendel
Mendel 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
#11,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,642
+68 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 573 places
2020
#12,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,341
-301 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 752 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,273 | 2,574 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,846 | 2,642 | 0.90 | +68 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 573 places |
| 2020 | #12,598 | 2,341 | 0.78 | -301 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 752 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 Mendel 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 | #11,846 | #12,598 | -6.3% |
| Count | 2,642 | 2,341 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.78 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mendel bearers went from 2,642 to 2,341 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 752 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,846 to #12,598.
FAQ
Mendel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mendel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,684 living Americans carry the surname Mendel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,703 residents.
How common is Mendel?
Mendel ranks #12,598 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,341 people with the surname Mendel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,684), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Mendel.
Has Mendel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mendel went from 2,642 recorded bearers to 2,341. That is a decrease of 301 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,846 to #12,598.
What does the Census say about the background of Mendel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mendel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mendel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,091 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mendel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Mendel (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 Mendel mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish male given name Mendel, which means "one who comforts or consoles." 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 Mendel (0.78 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 Mendel?
Want to know how many people are called Mendel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.