2000
#9,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Mikesell
Derived from a German nickname meaning "big Mike" or "strong Mike," likely referring to an ancestor's stature or strength.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,745 Americans carry the last name Mikesell. That puts it at #9,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,523 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mikesell 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
3.7K
1 in 91,523
Census rank
#9,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,266 bearers of the surname Mikesell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikesell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mikesell
The surname MIKESELL originated in Germany and is believed to have derived from the Old German word "michel" or "michils" meaning "big" or "great". It is thought to have been initially a nickname given to someone of large stature or someone who had a strong, powerful presence.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be MICHILSELE, found in tax records from the town of Württemberg in the year 1295. Over time, various spellings emerged such as MICHELSELE, MICHELSELL, MICHILSELL, and eventually MIKESELL.
In the 16th century, the name MIKESELL began appearing in church records from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One notable example is Johannes MIKESELL, born in 1528 in the town of Erfurt, who was a respected scholar and theologian.
The MIKESELL name can also be traced back to the village of Mikesell, located in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg. This village likely took its name from an early settler or landowner with the surname.
As the MIKESELL family spread throughout Germany and eventually to other parts of Europe, variations in spelling continued to emerge, such as MICKSELL, MIKKESELL, and MICSELL.
Notable individuals with the surname MIKESELL include:
1. Heinrich MIKESELL (1602-1677), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Hamburg.
2. Anna MIKESELL (1725-1798), a respected author and poet from Berlin.
3. Friedrich MIKESELL (1832-1901), a German politician and member of the Reichstag.
4. Gustav MIKESELL (1878-1942), a well-known artist and painter from Munich.
5. Wilhelm MIKESELL (1904-1985), a German military officer who served during World War II.
While the name MIKESELL is not among the most common surnames in Germany today, it has a long and rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, with its origins rooted in the German language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mikesell
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikesell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mikesell 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 Mikesell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,970
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 114
- Two or more races3.4% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 51
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mikesell
Mikesell 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
#9,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,415
+137 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 371 places
2020
#9,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,266
-149 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,149 | 3,278 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,520 | 3,415 | 1.16 | +137 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 371 places |
| 2020 | #9,521 | 3,266 | 1.09 | -149 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 1 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 Mikesell 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 | #9,520 | #9,521 | -0.0% |
| Count | 3,415 | 3,266 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.09 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mikesell bearers went from 3,415 to 3,266 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,520 to #9,521.
FAQ
Mikesell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mikesell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,745 living Americans carry the surname Mikesell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,523 residents.
How common is Mikesell?
Mikesell ranks #9,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,266 people with the surname Mikesell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,745), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Mikesell.
Has Mikesell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mikesell went from 3,415 recorded bearers to 3,266. That is a decrease of 149 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,520 to #9,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Mikesell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mikesell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mikesell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,970 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mikesell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Mikesell (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 Mikesell mean?
Derived from a German nickname meaning "big Mike" or "strong Mike," likely referring to an ancestor's stature or strength. 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 Mikesell (1.09 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 Mikesell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.