2000
#16,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,553
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Piel
A surname derived from the German word "piel", meaning small hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,792 Americans carry the last name Piel. That puts it at #17,650 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 191,269 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Piel 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
1.8K
1 in 191,269
Census rank
#17,650
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,563 bearers of the surname Piel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17650th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Piel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Piel
The surname Piel originated in Germany and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "pil," which means "arrow" or "bolt." The name likely referred to an occupation or trade involving the manufacture or use of arrows and bolts, such as a fletcher or archer.
Piel is a variation of the German surname Pfeil, which has the same meaning and origin. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various German records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, where it was often spelled "Pil" or "Pile."
One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Johannes Pil, a merchant from the city of Nuremberg, who is mentioned in records dating back to the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Hans Piel, a master bowmaker from the town of Augsburg, who lived in the 15th century and was renowned for his skillful craftsmanship.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Piel became more widespread across various regions of Germany, with many families bearing this surname settling in areas such as Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. In some cases, the name may also be associated with certain place names, such as the town of Pielach in Austria, which could have influenced the spelling or regional variation of the surname.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Piel was Johann Christoph Piel (1667-1719), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics. Other notable figures include Friedrich Piel (1796-1870), a German theologian and writer, and Heinrich Piel (1865-1928), a German composer and music educator.
Throughout history, the surname Piel has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, scholars, artists, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Piel
Among Census respondents with the surname Piel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Piel 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 Piel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 1,398
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 73
- Two or more races2.7% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
- Black or African American0.6% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Piel
Piel 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
#19,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,367
-186 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 2,797 places
2020
#17,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,563
+196 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 2,053 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,906 | 1,553 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,703 | 1,367 | 0.46 | -186 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 2,797 places |
| 2020 | #17,650 | 1,563 | 0.52 | +196 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 2,053 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 Piel 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 | #19,703 | #17,650 | 10.4% |
| Count | 1,367 | 1,563 | 14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 0.52 | 13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Piel bearers went from 1,367 to 1,563 (+14.3% change). The surname moved up 2,053 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,703 to #17,650.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Piel
FAQ
Piel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Piel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,792 living Americans carry the surname Piel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 191,269 residents.
How common is Piel?
Piel ranks #17,650 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,563 people with the surname Piel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,792), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Piel.
Has Piel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Piel went from 1,367 recorded bearers to 1,563. That is an increase of 196 (+14.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,703 to #17,650.
What does the Census say about the background of Piel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Piel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Piel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (1,398 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Piel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Piel (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 Piel mean?
A surname derived from the German word "piel", meaning small hill or mound. 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 Piel (0.52 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 Piel?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.