Find out how popular the last name Orgel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Orgel.

Orgel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Orgel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orgel in America

Orgel is the 53419th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orgel surname appeared 387 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Orgel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orgel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Orgel

The surname Orgel has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the late Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "orgel," which means "organ" or "musical instrument." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a person who played or built organs, or was somehow connected to the musical trade.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Orgel can be found in the German city of Augsburg, where a certain Johannes Orgel is mentioned in a document from the year 1356. This indicates that the name was already in use by the 14th century, though it may have existed even earlier.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Bavaria, particularly in the city of Nuremberg. One notable bearer of the surname was Hans Orgel, a master organ builder who lived in Nuremberg from 1450 to 1521. His work on the famous organ in the Church of St. Sebaldus is considered a masterpiece of Renaissance organ construction.

As the name spread throughout Germany, it also appeared in different spellings, such as Orgeler, Orgler, and Orgelmeister. The latter variant, meaning "organ master," was sometimes used to distinguish those who were highly skilled in organ building or playing.

In the 17th century, the name Orgel appears in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a family of organ builders and musicians carried the surname. One notable member of this family was Johann Orgel (1623-1695), who was a renowned organist and composer.

Over the centuries, the Orgel surname has been borne by several other notable individuals, including the German philosopher and mathematician Abraham Orgel (1735-1804), who made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education.

Another prominent bearer of the name was the German-American chemist Leslie Orgel (1927-2007), who was a pioneer in the field of origin-of-life research and made important contributions to the RNA world hypothesis.

In the 20th century, the American biochemist Robert M. Orgel (1923-2014) made significant advances in the study of connective tissue and collagen, earning him recognition as a leader in the field of matrix biology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orgel

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Orgel.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Orgel was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Orgel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Orgel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Orgel, please contact us.

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