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

Roehl, 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 Roehl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roehl in America

Roehl is the 12378th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roehl surname appeared 2,513 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Roehl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roehl 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 Roehl

The surname ROEHL originated in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. It derives from the Old German word "rödel," which means "a clearing in the forest." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have lived in or near a forest clearing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ROEHL name appears in the town records of Hannover, Lower Saxony, in the year 1427. These records mention a certain "Hans Rödel," likely a resident of the area at the time.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Röhel," "Röhl," and "Roehl," reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. During this period, the name is also found in other German regions, including Bavaria and Hesse.

The ROEHL surname can be traced back to place names like Rödelheim, a district of Frankfurt am Main, and Rödelhausen, a village in Thuringia. These place names reinforce the connection between the surname and the concept of a forest clearing.

Notable individuals with the ROEHL surname include:

1. Johann Roehl (1597-1667), a German painter and engraver known for his portraits and religious works.
2. Friedrich Roehl (1801-1868), a German philologist and classical scholar who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature.
3. Gustav Roehl (1859-1919), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
4. Emil Roehl (1871-1944), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Roehl Transport company in Wisconsin.
5. Hermann Roehl (1882-1932), a German expressionist painter and printmaker associated with the Die Brücke group.

Throughout its history, the ROEHL surname has maintained a strong presence in German-speaking regions, though it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roehl

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

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

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

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