Find out how popular the last name Piehl is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Piehl.

Piehl, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Piehl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Piehl in America

Piehl is the 20697th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Piehl surname appeared 1,278 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Piehl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Piehl to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Piehl

The surname PIEHL has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "pil," which means arrow or bolt. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who made or worked with arrows or bolts.

During the Middle Ages, the PIEHL name was predominantly found in the regions of Saxony and Brandenburg in eastern Germany. Some of the earliest known references to the surname can be found in church records and tax rolls from these areas, with spellings such as "Piel," "Piehle," and "Pihel."

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the PIEHL surname was Hans Piel, a blacksmith who lived in the town of Freiberg, Saxony, in the late 15th century. His name appears in local guild records from the year 1487.

In the 17th century, the PIEHL name began to spread beyond Saxony and Brandenburg as people migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. Johann Piehl, born in 1624 in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, was among the first to settle in the region of Silesia, which at the time was part of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Another notable figure with the PIEHL surname was Wilhelm Piehl, a German author and poet who lived from 1804 to 1872. He was born in Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia), and is best known for his collection of poems titled "Gedichte" (Poems), published in 1845.

As the surname spread across Germany and into other European countries, its spelling variations multiplied. Some examples include "Piehler," "Pihler," and "Pyhler." One individual of note with a slightly different spelling was Carl Pyhler, an Austrian painter and illustrator who lived from 1848 to 1922.

By the 19th century, the PIEHL name had also made its way to North America, carried by German immigrants seeking new opportunities. One such individual was Friedrich Piehl, who was born in Saxony in 1825 and later emigrated to the United States, settling in Ohio.

These are just a few examples of the rich history and diverse individuals who have carried the surname PIEHL throughout the centuries, originating from its roots in eastern Germany and spreading across Europe and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Piehl

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Piehl.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Piehl was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Piehl has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Piehl was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Piehl, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!