2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mongell
A surname possibly derived from the French word "mongeau", which refers to a small hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Mongell. 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 Mongell 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 Mongell 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 Mongell, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mongell
The surname Mongell is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "mong," which means "brave" or "strong." The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century, when it appeared in various records and manuscripts from the region.
One of the earliest known references to the name Mongell can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to 1170. This manuscript mentions a person named "Henricus Mongell" who was a landowner in the area.
In the 13th century, the name Mongell appeared in the Annales Quedlinburgenses, a chronicle of the Quedlinburg Abbey in modern-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The chronicle mentions a "Ludovicus Mongell" who was a prominent figure in the local community during that time.
The Mongell name is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Mongelberg, a small town in the state of Hesse, and Mongelshausen, a village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Mongell surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Mongell surname was Johann Mongell, born in 1487 in the town of Erfurt, in present-day Thuringia, Germany. He was a noted scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Erfurt and wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
Another notable figure with the Mongell surname was Heinrich Mongell, born in 1562 in the city of Cologne. He was a renowned artist and engraver who produced numerous works of art depicting religious and historical scenes.
In the 17th century, Hans Mongell (1623-1689) was a prominent merchant and banker in the city of Hamburg. He was known for his successful trading ventures and his contributions to the city's economic development.
The Mongell surname also has a strong presence in the United States, where it was likely brought by German immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable American with this surname was William Mongell (1892-1968), a businessman and philanthropist from New York City.
Overall, the surname Mongell has a rich history dating back to medieval Germany, and its origins are deeply rooted in the German language and culture. While it may have evolved over time, the name continues to be associated with strength, bravery, and a connection to the historical regions of Germany where it first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mongell
Among Census respondents with the surname Mongell, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Mongell 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 Mongell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 116
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mongell
Mongell 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+5 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,140 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-17 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,779 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +5 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 4,140 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 16,779 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 Mongell 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 | #128,249 | #145,028 | -13.1% |
| Count | 133 | 116 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mongell bearers went from 133 to 116 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 16,779 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #145,028.
FAQ
Mongell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mongell?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Mongell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Mongell?
Mongell 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 Mongell. 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 Mongell.
Has Mongell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mongell went from 133 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Mongell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mongell, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Mongell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mongell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Mongell (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 Mongell mean?
A surname possibly derived from the French word "mongeau", which refers to a small hill or mound. 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 Mongell (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 surname Mongell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.