2000
#11,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Menzel
Derived from a Slavic word meaning "stallion" or from German place names meaning "person from Menzel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,719 Americans carry the last name Menzel. That puts it at #12,483 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,059 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menzel 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 Menzel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,059
Census rank
#12,483
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,371 bearers of the surname Menzel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12483rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Menzel
The surname Menzel has its origins in the German language and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the German word "menzel," which referred to a small, detached building or hut, often used as a shelter or storage space. This connection suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived or worked in such structures.
The Menzel name first emerged in various regions of present-day Germany, particularly in areas like Saxony, Brandenburg, and Silesia. Early records show various spelling variations, such as Mentzel, Mentzell, and Mentzelmann, reflecting the regional dialects and adaptations of the name over time.
One of the earliest known references to the Menzel name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae," a collection of historical documents from the 13th century, where a certain "Heinricus Menzel" is mentioned in a land transaction in the town of Meissen in 1287.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Menzel surname. One prominent figure was Gerhard Menzel (1594-1661), a German jurist and philosopher who served as a legal advisor to the Elector of Brandenburg and authored several influential works on natural law and political philosophy.
Another Menzel of note was Adolph von Menzel (1815-1905), a renowned German artist and illustrator known for his highly detailed paintings and etchings depicting scenes from Prussian history and daily life. His works, such as "The Iron Rolling Mill" and "The Flute Concert," are considered masterpieces of 19th-century German art.
In the realm of science, Rudolf Menzel (1879-1957) was a German astronomer and astrophysicist who made significant contributions to the study of stellar atmospheres and the development of quantitative spectroscopy. His work helped advance our understanding of the physical properties and chemical compositions of stars.
The Menzel name also gained recognition in the field of literature with Wolfgang Menzel (1798-1873), a German literary critic and historian who wrote extensively on German literature and culture, including his influential work "The History of German Poetry" (Die Geschichte der deutschen Dichtung).
Finally, mention should be made of Karl Menzel (1881-1954), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction and redesign of several German cities, including Frankfurt and Mainz, in the aftermath of World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menzel
Among Census respondents with the surname Menzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Menzel 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 Menzel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,139
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 128
- Two or more races3.3% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menzel
Menzel 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
#12,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,553
-63 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 1,073 places
2020
#12,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,371
-182 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 284 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,126 | 2,616 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,199 | 2,553 | 0.87 | -63 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 1,073 places |
| 2020 | #12,483 | 2,371 | 0.79 | -182 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 284 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 Menzel 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 | #12,199 | #12,483 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,553 | 2,371 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.79 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menzel bearers went from 2,553 to 2,371 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 284 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,199 to #12,483.
FAQ
Menzel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menzel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,719 living Americans carry the surname Menzel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,059 residents.
How common is Menzel?
Menzel ranks #12,483 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,371 people with the surname Menzel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,719), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Menzel.
Has Menzel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menzel went from 2,553 recorded bearers to 2,371. That is a decrease of 182 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,199 to #12,483.
What does the Census say about the background of Menzel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Menzel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menzel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Menzel (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 Menzel mean?
Derived from a Slavic word meaning "stallion" or from German place names meaning "person from Menzel." 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 Menzel (0.79 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 Menzel?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Menzel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.