2000
#97,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Pannel
Of French origin, a surname denoting someone from a particular location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Pannel. 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 Pannel 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 Pannel 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 Pannel, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pannel
The surname PANNEL is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "panel," which referred to a small piece of cloth or a panel of a garment. This suggests that the name may have been associated with occupations related to the textile trade, such as tailors or cloth merchants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PANNEL surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls, a census-like record compiled in England in the late 13th century. This document mentions a John Pannel residing in the county of Oxfordshire.
During the 14th century, the surname PANNEL appeared in various historical records across different regions of England. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a Robert Pannel in the county of Sussex, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 include a William Pannel from the county of Yorkshire.
In the 15th century, the PANNEL surname was found in various parts of England, including the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. One notable individual from this period was John Pannel, a merchant from Bristol who was recorded in the city's records in the year 1471.
The 16th century saw the PANNEL surname spread further across England. In 1524, a Richard Pannel was listed as a landowner in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for the county of Nottinghamshire. Additionally, the Parish Registers of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, mention a Thomas Pannel who was married in 1592.
During the 17th century, the PANNEL surname continued to be found in various parts of England. One notable individual from this period was William Pannel, a merchant from London who was involved in the trade with the American colonies. He was born in 1632 and died in 1702.
In the 18th century, the PANNEL surname was recorded in various parts of England, including the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Lincolnshire. One notable individual from this period was John Pannel, a writer and poet from Leicestershire, who was born in 1742 and died in 1812.
In the 19th century, the PANNEL surname was found across different regions of England, as well as in other parts of the United Kingdom. One notable individual from this period was Charles Pannel, a renowned architect from London who was born in 1828 and died in 1895.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pannel
Among Census respondents with the surname Pannel, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pannel 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 Pannel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.7% · 82
- Black or African American16.4% · 19
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pannel
Pannel 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
#107,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165
-7 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 9,821 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-49 bearers (-29.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 37,359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #97,848 | 172 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #107,669 | 165 | 0.06 | -7 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 9,821 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -49 bearers (-29.7%) | Down 37,359 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 Pannel 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 | #107,669 | #145,028 | -34.7% |
| Count | 165 | 116 | -29.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.04 | -35.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pannel bearers went from 165 to 116 (-29.7% change). The surname moved down 37,359 positions in the national ranking, going from #107,669 to #145,028.
FAQ
Pannel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pannel?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Pannel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Pannel?
Pannel 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 Pannel. 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 Pannel.
Has Pannel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pannel went from 165 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 49 (-29.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #107,669 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Pannel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pannel, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Pannel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.7% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pannel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.7%), Black (16.4%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Pannel (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 Pannel mean?
Of French origin, a surname denoting someone from a particular 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 Pannel (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 Pannel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.