2010
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Morgel
A German surname derived from a pet form of the given name Morgan, meaning "bright sea."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Morgel. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morgel 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Morgel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morgel, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morgel
The surname Morgel originates from Germany, with the first recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "morgel," which translates to "morning" or "dawn." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was known for their early-rising habits or perhaps someone who was born at dawn.
In the historical records, the earliest known mention of the Morgel surname can be found in the parish registers of the town of Wittenberg, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, where a certain Hans Morgel was documented in the year 1543. This could potentially be one of the earliest documented instances of the name.
Another significant historical reference to the Morgel surname is found in the Kirchenbücher (church books) of the town of Ostheim vor der Rhön, in the German state of Bavaria, where a family with the surname Morgel is recorded as residing in the late 16th century. This suggests that the name had already spread to different regions of Germany by that time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Morgel surname was Johann Morgel, a German Lutheran theologian and reformer who lived from 1535 to 1617. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and served as a pastor in various churches across Germany.
Another notable individual with the Morgel surname was Johann Georg Morgel, a German composer and organist who lived from 1681 to 1738. He is known for his contributions to the development of the North German organ school, and his compositions were widely performed during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, a certain Friedrich Morgel (1723-1789) gained recognition as a German painter and engraver. His works were primarily focused on landscapes and architectural subjects, and he is considered one of the notable artists of the Rococo period in Germany.
Moving forward to the 19th century, a man named Wilhelm Morgel (1836-1912) made his mark as a German educator and author. He wrote several books on pedagogy and educational reform, and his ideas had a significant influence on the development of modern teaching methods in Germany.
Finally, in the 20th century, a notable figure with the Morgel surname was Hans Morgel (1919-1994), a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as a member of the Bundestag (the German federal parliament) from 1957 to 1987, representing the city of Cologne.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morgel
Among Census respondents with the surname Morgel, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Morgel 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 Morgel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 92
- Two or more races9.9% · 11
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morgel
Morgel appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-16 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,617 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 15,617 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 Morgel 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 | #133,048 | #148,665 | -11.7% |
| Count | 127 | 111 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morgel bearers went from 127 to 111 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 15,617 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #148,665.
FAQ
Morgel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morgel?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Morgel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Morgel?
Morgel ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Morgel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Morgel.
Has Morgel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morgel went from 127 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Morgel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morgel, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Morgel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morgel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Two or More Races (9.9%), Black (3.6%). 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 Morgel (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 Morgel mean?
A German surname derived from a pet form of the given name Morgan, meaning "bright sea." 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 Morgel (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 Americans have the surname Morgel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.