2000
#93,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 182
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Pichel
A surname derived from the German word 'pichel', meaning a small jug or pitcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 194 Americans carry the last name Pichel. That puts it at #110,961 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,766,775 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pichel 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
194
1 in 1,766,775
Census rank
#110,961
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
169
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 169 bearers of the surname Pichel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 110961st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pichel, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.5%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pichel
The surname PICHEL originated in Germany, with its earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "pichel," which referred to a small wooden barrel or container used for carrying liquids. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a person involved in the production or transportation of such containers.
During the medieval period, the name PICHEL appeared in various historical documents, including regional tax rolls and city censuses. One of the earliest recorded instances can be found in the Würzburg Manuscript of 1287, where a certain Konrad Pichel is mentioned as a resident of the city.
As surnames became more widespread in the 14th and 15th centuries, the name PICHEL began to appear in various parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia. In the Stadtbuch (city book) of Erfurt from 1391, a Hans Pichel is listed among the town's residents.
The name PICHEL is also linked to several place names across Germany, such as Pichelsdorf (now part of Cologne) and Pichelberg (a hill near Würzburg). These toponyms suggest that the name may have originated from a specific location or settlement.
Notable individuals bearing the surname PICHEL include:
1. Johann Pichel (c. 1445-1507), a German Renaissance sculptor and woodcarver from Nuremberg.
2. Andreas Pichel (1508-1573), a German Protestant theologian and reformer from Saxony.
3. Caspar Pichel (1570-1634), a German jurist and legal scholar from Erfurt.
4. Christoph Pichel (1602-1677), a German composer and organist from Thuringia.
5. Johanna Pichel (1727-1803), a German textile artist and embroiderer from Bavaria.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the name has undergone various modifications, including Pichell, Pichelle, and Pichelmann. However, the core form of PICHEL has remained largely intact, reflecting its deep-rooted Germanic origins and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pichel
Among Census respondents with the surname Pichel, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.5%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pichel 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 Pichel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.7% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino38.5% · 65
- Two or more races5.9% · 10
- Black or African American1.2% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pichel
Pichel 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
-45 bearers (-24.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 31,855 places
2020
#110,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
+32 bearers (+23.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 14,321 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #93,427 | 182 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | -45 bearers (-24.7%) | Down 31,855 places |
| 2020 | #110,961 | 169 | 0.06 | +32 bearers (+23.4%) | Up 14,321 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 Pichel 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 | #125,282 | #110,961 | 11.4% |
| Count | 137 | 169 | 23.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pichel bearers went from 137 to 169 (+23.4% change). The surname moved up 14,321 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #110,961.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pichel
FAQ
Pichel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pichel?
Name Census estimates that about 194 living Americans carry the surname Pichel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,766,775 residents.
How common is Pichel?
Pichel ranks #110,961 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 169 people with the surname Pichel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Pichel.
Has Pichel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pichel went from 137 recorded bearers to 169. That is an increase of 32 (+23.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #125,282 to #110,961.
What does the Census say about the background of Pichel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pichel, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.5%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Pichel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.7% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pichel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.7%), Hispanic (38.5%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Pichel (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 Pichel mean?
A surname derived from the German word 'pichel', meaning a small jug or pitcher. 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 Pichel (0.06 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 Pichel?
See how many people are called Pichel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.