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

Postel, 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 Postel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Postel in America

Postel is the 23647th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Postel surname appeared 1,072 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 Postel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Postel 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 Postel

The surname Postel originated in France, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "poste," meaning "post" or "station," likely referring to someone who lived near a post or station along a well-traveled route.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Savigny, a collection of charters from the Savigny Abbey in Normandy, where a certain Radulfus Postel was mentioned in 1175. Another early reference is in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a register of citizens in the city of Rouen, which lists a Hugo Postel in 1292.

During the Middle Ages, the name Postel appeared in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region. It was also found in the neighboring regions of present-day Belgium and Luxembourg, likely due to the movement of people across these areas.

In the 16th century, Guillaume Postel (1510-1581) was a notable French scholar, linguist, and philosopher who traveled extensively and wrote numerous works on religion, linguistics, and cosmology. His contemporaries referred to him as "the Traveler of the World" due to his extensive travels.

Another prominent figure with the surname Postel was François Postel (1594-1663), a French lawyer and diplomat who served as the French ambassador to Portugal and played a significant role in negotiating the Treaty of the Pyrenees between France and Spain in 1659.

In the 18th century, Jean-François-Nicolas Postel (1727-1795) was a French lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the National Constituent Assembly during the French Revolution.

The name Postel also appeared in other parts of Europe, such as Germany and the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Postal" or "Postl." For example, the Dutch painter and engraver Frans Postel (1610-1664) was a prominent figure in the Golden Age of Dutch art.

Throughout its history, the surname Postel has been associated with various occupations, including innkeepers, postal workers, and travelers, reflecting its origins as a name related to posts or stations along routes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Postel

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

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 Postel 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 Postel 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 Postel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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