2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pezel
A surname derived from a Polish place name or habitation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Pezel. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pezel 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Pezel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pezel, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pezel
The surname Pezel is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Pfeffer," meaning pepper, or a variation of the word "Pfeiffer," which referred to a pipe or flute player. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in the spice trade or those who were musicians.
The earliest recorded instances of the Pezel surname can be found in various documents and records from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. In the late 15th century, the name appears in the Nuremberg city archives, indicating that families bearing this surname had established themselves in this prominent trading center.
One notable historical figure with the Pezel surname was Johann Pezel, a German composer and organist who lived from 1639 to 1694. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude, a genre of Protestant church music during the Baroque period.
Another individual of note was Georg Pezel, a renowned German painter born in 1500 in Nuremberg. His works, primarily depicting religious scenes and portraits, were highly regarded during the Renaissance era and can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
In the 18th century, the Pezel surname appears in records from the town of Erfurt, located in the central region of Germany. Johann Friedrich Pezel, born in 1725, was a prominent theologian and author who published several influential works on religious philosophy and ethics.
Moving forward to the 19th century, the name Pezel can be linked to the town of Rottenburg, where a prominent family of merchants and traders resided. Heinrich Pezel, born in 1821, was a successful businessman who played a significant role in the local economy and community affairs.
Throughout the centuries, the Pezel surname has also been associated with various place names and localities within Germany, such as Pezelsau, a small village in Bavaria, and Pezelshof, a historic farm estate located in the region of Saxony-Anhalt.
While the Pezel surname may not be as widely recognized as some others, it has a rich history and heritage that can be traced back to the medieval period in Germany. The name's origins and evolution reflect the diverse occupations and geographical locations of those who bore it over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pezel
Among Census respondents with the surname Pezel, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pezel 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 Pezel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- Two or more races6.3% · 7
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pezel
Pezel 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
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,578 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 Pezel 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 | #151,532 | #147,954 | 2.4% |
| Count | 108 | 112 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pezel bearers went from 108 to 112 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,578 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,954.
FAQ
Pezel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pezel?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Pezel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Pezel?
Pezel ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Pezel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Pezel.
Has Pezel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pezel went from 108 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Pezel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pezel, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Pezel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pezel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Hispanic (7.1%), Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Pezel (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 Pezel mean?
A surname derived from a Polish place name or habitation. 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 Pezel (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 share the surname Pezel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.