2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mockel
Of German origin, a topographic name denoting someone who lived near a bog or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Mockel. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mockel 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Mockel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mockel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mockel
The surname MOCKEL has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 12th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "mockel," which means "small" or "little." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive nickname given to someone of small stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MOCKEL can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this record, a person named "Conradus Mockel" is mentioned in relation to a land transaction in the year 1278.
During the 14th century, the name MOCKEL appeared in various records across central and northern Germany, often associated with towns and villages in regions such as Lower Saxony, Westphalia, and the Rhineland. For instance, a document from the town of Hameln in Lower Saxony, dated 1341, mentions a "Henricus Mockel" as a landowner.
In the 15th century, the name MOCKEL gained prominence in the city of Cologne, where a family of that name played a significant role in the city's affairs. One notable member was Johannes Mockel (1455-1523), a wealthy merchant and alderman who served as the city's mayor in 1505.
Another famous bearer of the MOCKEL surname was Johann Mockel (1610-1680), a German theologian and professor of philosophy at the University of Rostock. He authored several works on theology and philosophy, including the influential "Dissertatio de Atheismo" (1655), which explored the concept of atheism.
In the 17th century, the MOCKEL name spread to other parts of Europe, particularly the Netherlands and Scandinavia. One example is Willem Mockel (1633-1701), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits.
During the 18th century, the MOCKEL surname was also found in Switzerland, where a family of that name settled in the Canton of Bern. One notable member was Johann Rudolf Mockel (1730-1801), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
Over the centuries, the MOCKEL surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Möckel, Moeckel, and Moeckell, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the inconsistencies of historical record-keeping.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mockel
Among Census respondents with the surname Mockel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mockel 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 Mockel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mockel
Mockel 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,845 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+9 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 15,845 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.4%) | Up 7,600 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 Mockel 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 | #152,628 | #145,028 | 5.0% |
| Count | 107 | 116 | 8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mockel bearers went from 107 to 116 (+8.4% change). The surname moved up 7,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #145,028.
FAQ
Mockel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mockel?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Mockel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Mockel?
Mockel ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Mockel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mockel.
Has Mockel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mockel went from 107 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 9 (+8.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Mockel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mockel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Mockel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mockel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Hispanic (7.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Mockel (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 Mockel mean?
Of German origin, a topographic name denoting someone who lived near a bog or marsh. 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 Mockel (0.04 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 Mockel?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mockel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.