2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tezel
Turkish surname indicating an individual with ties to velvet or velvet production.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Tezel. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tezel 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Tezel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tezel, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tezel
The surname Tezel is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the Frisian region, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Frisian word "tezel," which translates to "teasel," a plant with prickly flower heads used in textile manufacturing to raise the nap on woolen fabrics.
This surname was likely initially adopted as a descriptive name, referring to someone who worked with teasels or lived near an area abundant with these plants. The earliest recorded instances of the name Tezel can be traced back to the 14th century in Dutch historical records and documents.
One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Hendrik Tezel, a merchant from the city of Leeuwarden, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Jan Tezel, a Dutch painter active in the early 16th century, renowned for his religious and portrait works commissioned by the Dutch elite.
The Tezel surname also appears in various historical manuscripts and records from the German-speaking regions, indicating that it may have spread beyond the Netherlands through trade or migration during the late medieval and Renaissance periods. For instance, Johann Tetzel, a controversial Dominican friar from the early 16th century, played a significant role in the events leading to the Protestant Reformation due to his sale of indulgences, which sparked Martin Luther's criticism.
Another prominent individual with the Tezel surname was Jacob Tezel, a Dutch writer and philosopher who lived from 1563 to 1629. He authored several works on ethics and morality, reflecting the intellectual climate of the Dutch Golden Age.
It is worth noting that variations of the name, such as Tetzel, Tetzelius, and Tetzell, can also be found in historical records, likely due to regional spelling differences or transcription errors over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tezel
Among Census respondents with the surname Tezel, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tezel 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 Tezel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 10
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tezel
Tezel appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-5 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.8%) | Up 39 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 Tezel 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 | #156,044 | #156,005 | 0.0% |
| Count | 104 | 99 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tezel bearers went from 104 to 99 (-4.8% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #156,005.
FAQ
Tezel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tezel?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Tezel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Tezel?
Tezel ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Tezel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Tezel.
Has Tezel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tezel went from 104 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Tezel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tezel, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (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 Tezel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tezel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Hispanic (10.1%), Two or More Races (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 Tezel (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 Tezel mean?
Turkish surname indicating an individual with ties to velvet or velvet production. 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 Tezel (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 people share the surname Tezel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.