2000
#12,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,247
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Stickel
A German occupational surname referring to a carpenter or woodworker, derived from the Middle High German word "stickel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,370 Americans carry the last name Stickel. That puts it at #13,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stickel 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
2.4K
1 in 144,622
Census rank
#13,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,067 bearers of the surname Stickel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stickel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stickel
The surname Stickel is believed to have originated in German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Germany and Switzerland, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "stickel," which means "a small stick or staff."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records and documents, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Quedlinburgensis, a collection of charters and documents from the Quedlinburg Abbey in Germany. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Stickele," which was found in this collection.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Stickel, a merchant from Nuremberg, Germany, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Johannes Stickel, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1497 to 1567.
The name Stickel was also associated with various place names in Germany and Switzerland. For instance, the town of Stickelhausen in Bavaria, Germany, was named after a family with the surname Stickel who lived there in the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the name Stickel appeared in various Swiss records, including the Chronik der Stadt Zürich (Chronicle of the City of Zurich). One notable bearer of the name was Hans Rudolf Stickel, a Swiss Protestant reformer who lived from 1524 to 1594.
Another significant figure was Johann Stickel, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1613 to 1687. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and published several works on astronomy.
In the 18th century, Johann Caspar Stickel, a German lawyer and jurist, lived from 1723 to 1802. He was known for his work on German legal history and authored several publications on the subject.
As the name spread across Europe, it also appeared in various other countries, such as the Netherlands and France, where it was sometimes spelled as "Stickels" or "Stickelé."
While the surname Stickel is not among the most common names today, it has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, with notable bearers in various fields, including theology, astronomy, and law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stickel
Among Census respondents with the surname Stickel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stickel 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 Stickel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,889
- Two or more races4.2% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stickel
Stickel 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
#12,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,459
+212 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 51 places
2020
#13,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,067
-392 bearers (-15.9%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,380 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,638 | 2,247 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,587 | 2,459 | 0.83 | +212 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 51 places |
| 2020 | #13,967 | 2,067 | 0.69 | -392 bearers (-15.9%) | Down 1,380 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 Stickel 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 | #12,587 | #13,967 | -11.0% |
| Count | 2,459 | 2,067 | -15.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.69 | -16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stickel bearers went from 2,459 to 2,067 (-15.9% change). The surname moved down 1,380 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,587 to #13,967.
FAQ
Stickel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stickel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,370 living Americans carry the surname Stickel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,622 residents.
How common is Stickel?
Stickel ranks #13,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,067 people with the surname Stickel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,370), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Stickel.
Has Stickel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stickel went from 2,459 recorded bearers to 2,067. That is a decrease of 392 (-15.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,587 to #13,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Stickel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stickel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Stickel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stickel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Stickel (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 Stickel mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a carpenter or woodworker, derived from the Middle High German word "stickel." 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 Stickel (0.69 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 common is the surname Stickel?
You can see how many people have the surname Stickel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.