2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Reisel
An occupational name for a travelling merchant or peddler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Reisel. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reisel 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Reisel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reisel, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reisel
The surname Reisel is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "rīse," which means "giant" or "tall person." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone of imposing stature or height.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Reisel can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. Several variations in spelling existed during this time, such as Reysel, Reissl, and Reissele, which further indicates the name's Germanic roots.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Hans Reisel was mentioned in the records of the city of Nuremberg. He was a respected merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the local economy and politics of the time.
Another notable individual bearing the Reisel surname was Johannes Reisel, a Lutheran theologian who lived during the 16th century. He was born in 1505 in the town of Eisenach and became a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation, working alongside Martin Luther himself.
During the 17th century, the Reisel family had established themselves as landowners and noblemen in various parts of Germany. One member, Friedrich von Reisel, was a renowned military commander who served under the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).
In the 18th century, a renowned artist named Johann Reisel gained recognition for his intricate woodcarvings and sculptures. He was born in 1720 in the city of Dresden and his works can still be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
As the centuries progressed, the Reisel surname spread beyond Germany to other parts of Europe and eventually to other continents through immigration. Despite its geographic dispersal, the name has maintained its Germanic roots and continues to be associated with its origins as a descriptive nickname for a tall or imposing individual.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reisel
Among Census respondents with the surname Reisel, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Reisel 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 Reisel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reisel
Reisel 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,776 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,776 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 3,223 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 Reisel 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 | #151,532 | #154,755 | -2.1% |
| Count | 108 | 102 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reisel bearers went from 108 to 102 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 3,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #154,755.
FAQ
Reisel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reisel?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Reisel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Reisel?
Reisel ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Reisel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Reisel.
Has Reisel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reisel went from 108 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Reisel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reisel, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Reisel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reisel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Reisel (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 Reisel mean?
An occupational name for a travelling merchant or peddler. 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 Reisel (0.03 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 Reisel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.