Sammel
A German surname derived from the words "zusammen" meaning "together" and "mal" meaning "time".
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Sammel. That puts it at #138,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sammel 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.
Sammel appeared in the 2000 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#138,741
2000 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Sammel in its 2000 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 138741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sammel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sammel
The surname Sammel is believed to have originated from Germany, with historical roots tracing back to the medieval period, possibly around the 12th century. It is most commonly associated with the regions in and around Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate. The derivation of the surname Sammel may be linked to the Middle High German word sammeln, meaning "to gather" or "collect," indicating a possible occupational origin for someone who collected tithes or taxes, or perhaps a gatherer of goods or produce.
Old spellings of the surname have appeared in various forms, including Sammell and Samel, which can be found in several medieval manuscripts and church records. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is from a 14th-century document from the town of Mainz, where a Johannes Sammel is listed as a witness in a legal transaction. This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time.
In historical references, the name Sammel appeared in the 1524 tax records of Nuremberg, where a Heinrich Sammel was noted as paying dues. Another early record can be found in the archives of the city of Cologne from the year 1586, mentioning a Conrad Sammel, a merchant actively involved in trade.
Among the notable individuals bearing this surname, Wilhelm Sammel (1732-1809), a renowned physician from Leipzig, made significant contributions to the medical field and authored several early medical texts still referenced today. In military history, Friedrich Sammel (1765-1823) served as an officer in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars, distinguishing himself in several key battles.
In the field of music, Karl Sammel (1801-1875) was a well-regarded composer and conductor, based in Vienna, recognized for his operatic works and contributions to 19th-century classical music. The arts also see a representation with Clara Sammel (1837-1902), a noted painter from Munich whose works were exhibited in several prominent galleries across Europe.
Overall, the surname Sammel is steeped in history, with roots in medieval Germany and connections to various fields such as commerce, medicine, military service, and the arts. The enduring nature of the name through the centuries highlights the rich legacy and diverse contributions of individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sammel
Among Census respondents with the surname Sammel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%.
The bar chart below shows how Sammel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2000 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 Sammel surname at the time of the 2000 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7%
- Unknown or suppressed6.3%
FAQ
Sammel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sammel?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Sammel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Sammel?
Sammel ranks #138,741 in the 2000 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 2000 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Sammel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Sammel.
Has Sammel become more or less common over time?
Sammel appears here with 2000 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Sammel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sammel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. These figures come from the 2000 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 Sammel in the 2000 Census, accounting for 93.7%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sammel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2000 file are White (93.7%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Sammel appears here with 2000 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Sammel mean?
A German surname derived from the words "zusammen" meaning "together" and "mal" meaning "time". 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 2000 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 Sammel (0.04 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 have the last name Sammel?
You can see how many people have the surname Sammel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.