2000
#11,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,452
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Mikel
A surname of Basque origin, derived from the given name Mikel, a variant of Michael meaning "Who is like God?"
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,905 Americans carry the last name Mikel. That puts it at #11,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mikel 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
2.9K
1 in 117,988
Census rank
#11,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,533 bearers of the surname Mikel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikel, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mikel
The surname Mikel has its origins in the European nation of Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German personal name "Michael", which itself comes from the Hebrew name "Mikhael", meaning "who is like God". The name was likely adopted as a surname by individuals who were named Michael or those who had ancestors with that given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mikel can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Saxony, where a Johannes Mikel was listed in 1567. Another early mention comes from the town of Mülheim an der Ruhr, where a Hans Mikel was documented in 1582.
In the 17th century, the surname Mikel began to spread beyond the borders of Germany, with records showing individuals bearing the name in neighboring countries such as the Netherlands and Switzerland. One notable example is the Swiss theologian and philosopher Johann Mikel (1615-1681), who was born in Basel and made significant contributions to the field of Protestant theology.
The 18th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals with the surname Mikel. One such figure was the German composer and organist Johann Friedrich Mikel (1737-1805), who was renowned for his works in the Baroque and Classical styles. Another was the Dutch painter and engraver Jan Mikel (1753-1825), whose landscapes and cityscapes were highly regarded during his lifetime.
As the 19th century dawned, the Mikel surname continued to spread across Europe and beyond. One prominent individual was the German-born American businessman and philanthropist Frederick Mikel (1818-1901), who made his fortune in the brewing industry and later became a significant benefactor to various charitable causes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Throughout the 20th century, several notable individuals bore the Mikel surname, including the German author and playwright Günter Mikel (1928-2015), whose works explored themes of identity and societal change in post-war Germany. Another noteworthy figure was the American mathematician and computer scientist Donald Mikel (1940-2022), who made significant contributions to the field of cryptography and was recognized for his work in developing secure communication systems.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mikel
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikel, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mikel 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 Mikel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.6% · 1,889
- Black or African American14.3% · 361
- Two or more races4.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mikel
Mikel 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
#12,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,514
+62 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 658 places
2020
#11,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,533
+19 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 550 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,712 | 2,452 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,370 | 2,514 | 0.85 | +62 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 658 places |
| 2020 | #11,820 | 2,533 | 0.85 | +19 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 550 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 Mikel 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 | #12,370 | #11,820 | 4.4% |
| Count | 2,514 | 2,533 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.85 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mikel bearers went from 2,514 to 2,533 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 550 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,370 to #11,820.
FAQ
Mikel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mikel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,905 living Americans carry the surname Mikel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,988 residents.
How common is Mikel?
Mikel ranks #11,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,533 people with the surname Mikel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,905), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Mikel.
Has Mikel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mikel went from 2,514 recorded bearers to 2,533. That is an increase of 19 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,370 to #11,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Mikel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikel, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mikel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.6% (1,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mikel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.6%), Black (14.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Mikel (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 Mikel mean?
A surname of Basque origin, derived from the given name Mikel, a variant of Michael meaning "Who is like God?" 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 Mikel (0.85 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 Mikel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.