2000
#6,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,232
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Mizell
Derived from a place name meaning "beautiful village" in Old French, likely referring to a family's place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,845 Americans carry the last name Mizell. That puts it at #6,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,641 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mizell 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
5.8K
1 in 58,641
Census rank
#6,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,097 bearers of the surname Mizell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mizell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mizell
The surname Mizell is believed to have originated in England, possibly in the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "myccil" or "micel," meaning "great" or "large." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for a tall or imposing person.
In terms of historical references, the surname Mizell does not appear to be mentioned in prominent sources like the Domesday Book. However, some variations of the spelling, such as Michell and Mitchell, can be found in records dating back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mizell surname is in the 16th century. A Thomas Mizell was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1524. Around the same time, a John Mizell was recorded in the Parish Registers of Wye, Kent, in 1558.
The surname Mizell has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One example is Sir Walter Mizell (1597-1677), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucester in the 17th century.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Captain John Mizell (1637-1689), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the latter part of the 17th century.
In the 19th century, Henry Mizell (1818-1898) was an American politician who served as a member of the Louisiana State Senate and later as the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1865 to 1868.
Some other individuals with the Mizell surname include:
1. William Mizell (1853-1932), an American politician and judge from Louisiana.
2. Joseph Mizell (1789-1857), an American planter and politician who served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives.
3. James Mizell (1891-1971), an American baseball player who played for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals in the early 20th century.
4. Clarence Mizell (1893-1972), an American businessman and politician who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1944 to 1948.
5. Wilbert Mizell (1909-1995), an American professional baseball player and manager in the mid-20th century.
While the surname Mizell is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a long history dating back several centuries, with variations in spelling and various notable individuals bearing this name throughout different periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mizell
Among Census respondents with the surname Mizell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mizell 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 Mizell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.7% · 4,010
- Black or African American12.8% · 653
- Two or more races4.6% · 236
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 146
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mizell
Mizell 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
#6,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,429
+197 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 242 places
2020
#6,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,097
-332 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,049 | 5,232 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,291 | 5,429 | 1.84 | +197 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 242 places |
| 2020 | #6,413 | 5,097 | 1.71 | -332 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 122 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 Mizell 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 | #6,291 | #6,413 | -1.9% |
| Count | 5,429 | 5,097 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.84 | 1.71 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mizell bearers went from 5,429 to 5,097 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 122 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,291 to #6,413.
FAQ
Mizell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mizell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,845 living Americans carry the surname Mizell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,641 residents.
How common is Mizell?
Mizell ranks #6,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,097 people with the surname Mizell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,845), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mizell.
Has Mizell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mizell went from 5,429 recorded bearers to 5,097. That is a decrease of 332 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,291 to #6,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Mizell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mizell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Mizell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (4,010 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mizell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.7%), Black (12.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Mizell (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 Mizell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "beautiful village" in Old French, likely referring to a family's place of origin. 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 Mizell (1.71 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 Mizell?
Want to know how many people have the surname Mizell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.