2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Robell
An Anglicized spelling of the German surname Robell.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Robell. 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 Robell 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 Robell 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 Robell, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robell
The surname Robell is believed to have originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "rob," meaning a clearing or cultivated land, and the suffix "-ell," denoting a small or diminutive form. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on or near a small cultivated plot of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Cologne, where a certain Hans Robell was mentioned in 1567. This provides evidence that the name was already in use in the Rhineland region by the mid-16th century. Another early reference appears in the parish records of Aachen, where a Johannes Robell was documented in 1592.
During the 17th century, the name began to spread beyond its original region, likely due to migration and population movements. In 1632, a Matthias Robell was recorded in the church registers of Würzburg, a city in the northern part of Bavaria. Around the same time, a Henricus Robell appears in the records of the city of Leipzig, in what is now the state of Saxony.
As the name spread across German-speaking territories, it also underwent slight variations in spelling, reflecting regional dialects and local pronunciation. Some of these variations include Robel, Robele, and Robelle, all of which can be found in historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries.
One notable figure bearing the Robell surname was Johann Michael Robell, a German composer and organist who lived from 1706 to 1784. He was born in the town of Mühlhausen, in what is now the state of Thuringia, and served as the organist at the St. Blasius Church in Mühlhausen for over 50 years.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich Robell, a German military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1783 in the town of Potsdam, near Berlin, he served in the Prussian army and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
In the 19th century, the name Robell began to appear in other parts of Europe, likely carried by individuals who migrated from German-speaking regions. For example, a family by the name of Robell settled in the Russian Empire, where they established themselves in the Baltic region.
One member of this Baltic branch was Karl Robell, a renowned architect who lived from 1851 to 1926. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in the city of Riga, including the Riga Art Nouveau Museum and the Riga Central Station.
Another notable figure was Anna Robell, a German writer and feminist activist who lived from 1869 to 1942. She was born in the town of Darmstadt and was a vocal advocate for women's rights and education, publishing several works on these topics throughout her lifetime.
While the Robell surname may have originated in a specific region of Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals who emigrated from their ancestral homelands. However, its roots can be traced back to the cultivated lands of medieval Germany, where the name first took shape and gained significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robell
Among Census respondents with the surname Robell, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Robell 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 Robell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robell
Robell 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,357 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 3,357 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,303 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 Robell 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 | #150,452 | #154,755 | -2.9% |
| Count | 109 | 102 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robell bearers went from 109 to 102 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,755.
FAQ
Robell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robell?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Robell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Robell?
Robell 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 Robell. 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 Robell.
Has Robell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robell went from 109 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Robell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robell, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Robell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (4.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Robell (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 Robell mean?
An Anglicized spelling of the German surname Robell. 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 Robell (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 Robell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.