2000
#6,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,973
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Pagel
A toponymic surname derived from the German place name Pagel, likely referring to someone from that location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,562 Americans carry the last name Pagel. That puts it at #6,689 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pagel 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
5.6K
1 in 61,624
Census rank
#6,689
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,850 bearers of the surname Pagel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6689th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pagel
The surname Pagel is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "bach," meaning "stream" or "brook," suggesting a connection to a geographical location or feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century. The name appears as "Pagel" in reference to a landowner or resident near a small stream or brook.
In the 14th century, the name Pagel was recorded in various German chronicles and records, indicating its presence in areas such as Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Johannes Pagel (1445-1512), a German theologian and reformer, and Hans Pagel (1501-1576), a prominent merchant and council member in the city of Nuremberg.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pagel name gained recognition through several notable figures. Peter Pagel (1576-1638) was a German composer and organist, renowned for his contributions to sacred music. Christoph Pagel (1611-1671) was a respected jurist and legal scholar, serving as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
In the 18th century, the name Pagel was associated with place names such as Pagelsdorf (now part of the town of Wittingen in Lower Saxony) and Pagelsbach (a small stream in the Thuringian Forest region). Johann Friedrich Pagel (1720-1792) was a notable German philosopher and educator who authored several works on ethics and education.
Another prominent figure with the surname Pagel was Carl Friedrich Pagel (1786-1859), a German physician and naturalist. He made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology, and his extensive collections are housed in various museums across Germany.
Throughout history, the surname Pagel has been associated with various professions, including academics, artists, and tradesmen. While its origins can be traced back to Germany, the name has spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pagel
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pagel 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 Pagel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 4,476
- Two or more races3.1% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
- Black or African American0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pagel
Pagel 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
#6,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,043
+70 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 391 places
2020
#6,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,850
-193 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Up 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,306 | 4,973 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,697 | 5,043 | 1.71 | +70 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 391 places |
| 2020 | #6,689 | 4,850 | 1.62 | -193 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 8 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 Pagel 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 | #6,697 | #6,689 | 0.1% |
| Count | 5,043 | 4,850 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.62 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pagel bearers went from 5,043 to 4,850 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,697 to #6,689.
FAQ
Pagel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pagel?
Name Census estimates that about 5,562 living Americans carry the surname Pagel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,624 residents.
How common is Pagel?
Pagel ranks #6,689 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 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 4,850 people with the surname Pagel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,562), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 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 Pagel.
Has Pagel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pagel went from 5,043 recorded bearers to 4,850. That is a decrease of 193 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,697 to #6,689.
What does the Census say about the background of Pagel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pagel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Pagel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (4,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pagel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Pagel (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 Pagel mean?
A toponymic surname derived from the German place name Pagel, likely referring to someone from that location. 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 Pagel (1.62 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 are called Pagel?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Pagel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.