2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Peshel
A surname potentially derived from the German word "peschel", meaning a small basket or container.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Peshel. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peshel 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Peshel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peshel, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peshel
The surname Peshel is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, where it was initially derived from the Old German word "pische," which referred to a marsh or boggy area.
The earliest known records of the Peshel name can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in various historical documents and church registers within the region of Saxony. One notable mention is found in the Liber Vitae, a medieval manuscript from the Benedictine abbey of Reinhardsbrunn, where a certain "Heinricus Peschel" is listed among the benefactors.
In the 14th century, the Peshel name began to spread beyond Saxony, with records indicating its presence in other parts of Germany, such as Thuringia and Silesia. During this time, variations in spelling emerged, including Peschel, Peschke, and Pöschel.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Peshel surname was Johannes Peshel (c. 1370-1439), a prominent scholar and clergyman from Saxony. He served as the rector of the University of Leipzig and was highly regarded for his theological writings.
Another notable figure was Georg Peshel (1551-1616), a German mathematician and astronomer who taught at the University of Wittenberg. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and is remembered for his work on the motion of planets.
In the 17th century, the Peshel name appeared in various areas of present-day Poland, particularly in Silesia. Johann Peshel (1639-1718), a Silesian scholar and theologian, gained recognition for his contributions to the field of ecclesiastical history.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Christian Friedrich Peshel (1715-1798), a German jurist and legal scholar from Saxony. He served as a professor of law at the University of Leipzig and wrote extensively on legal principles and practices.
In the 19th century, Oscar Ferdinand Peschel (1826-1875), a German geographer and ethnographer, made significant contributions to the study of physical geography and ethnology. His works, such as "The Races of Man and their Geographical Distribution," were widely acclaimed and influential.
Throughout its history, the Peshel surname has been associated with various place names, such as Pescheldorf, a village in Saxony, and Peschelsbach, a small town in Thuringia. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the influence and presence of the Peshel family in those regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peshel
Among Census respondents with the surname Peshel, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Peshel 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 Peshel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peshel
Peshel 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+10 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 767 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 767 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,498 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 Peshel 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 | #144,141 | #151,639 | -5.2% |
| Count | 115 | 107 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peshel bearers went from 115 to 107 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #151,639.
FAQ
Peshel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peshel?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Peshel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Peshel?
Peshel ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Peshel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Peshel.
Has Peshel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peshel went from 115 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Peshel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peshel, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Peshel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peshel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Peshel (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 Peshel mean?
A surname potentially derived from the German word "peschel", meaning a small basket or container. 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 Peshel (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 last name Peshel?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Peshel is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.