2000
#11,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,649
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Pickel
A German occupational surname referring to a pickler or producer of pickled foods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,783 Americans carry the last name Pickel. That puts it at #12,239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,160 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pickel 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
2.8K
1 in 123,160
Census rank
#12,239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,427 bearers of the surname Pickel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pickel
The surname Pickel originated in Germany, first appearing in records during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "pickel," which means "pointed" or "peaked." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or peak.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pickel name is found in a document from the city of Köln (Cologne) in 1295, referring to a "Johannes Pickel." Another early record comes from the town of Marburg in 1327, where a "Conrad Pickel" is mentioned.
In the 15th century, there are records of a Pickel family residing in the village of Eichenau, near the city of Augsburg in Bavaria. This may indicate that the name has roots in this region as well.
The Pickel name appears to have spread throughout various German states in the following centuries. In 1562, a "Hans Pickel" is recorded in the town of Bückeburg in Lower Saxony. A "Georg Pickel" is listed in a census from the city of Nürnberg in 1621.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Pickel surname is Johann Pickel, a Protestant reformer and theologian who lived from 1499 to 1573. He was a prominent figure in the Reformation movement in Germany.
Another notable Pickel was Friedrich Wilhelm Pickel (1786-1865), a German painter and engraver who was known for his landscapes and portraits. He studied under the famous artist Jacques-Louis David.
In the 19th century, a Pickel family from the town of Weilheim in Bavaria produced several notable individuals. This includes the writer and philosopher Karl Pickel (1825-1891) and his brother, the politician and jurist Johann Pickel (1827-1902).
A more recent figure is the German-American physicist and inventor Karl Pickel (1905-1997), who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II.
While the Pickel name has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration. However, it remains most prevalent in German-speaking regions and among those of German descent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pickel
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pickel 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 Pickel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,249
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 67
- Two or more races2.3% · 56
- Black or African American1.6% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pickel
Pickel 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
#11,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,673
+24 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 710 places
2020
#12,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,427
-246 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,012 | 2,649 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,722 | 2,673 | 0.91 | +24 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 710 places |
| 2020 | #12,239 | 2,427 | 0.81 | -246 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 517 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 Pickel 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 | #11,722 | #12,239 | -4.4% |
| Count | 2,673 | 2,427 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.81 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pickel bearers went from 2,673 to 2,427 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 517 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,722 to #12,239.
FAQ
Pickel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pickel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,783 living Americans carry the surname Pickel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,160 residents.
How common is Pickel?
Pickel ranks #12,239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,427 people with the surname Pickel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,783), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pickel.
Has Pickel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pickel went from 2,673 recorded bearers to 2,427. That is a decrease of 246 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,722 to #12,239.
What does the Census say about the background of Pickel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pickel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Pickel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,249 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pickel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Pickel (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 Pickel mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a pickler or producer of pickled foods. 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 Pickel (0.81 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 Pickel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.