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

Theil, 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 Theil surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Theil in America

Theil is the 44808th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Theil surname appeared 479 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Theil.

We can also compare 2010 data for Theil 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 Theil

The surname THEIL originated in Germany. It first appeared in records dating back to the 12th century in the southern regions of the country, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the Old High German word "dil," which means "valley" or "dell," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname lived in or near a valley or dell.

One of the earliest known records of the THEIL surname appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Monasterii Sancti Michaelis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of St. Michael in Bamberg, Bavaria. This document mentions a person named "Cunradus de Dile" (Conrad of the Valley).

In the 13th century, the THEIL surname appeared in various forms, such as "Dile," "Dyle," and "Thyle," reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. Some of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname include Henricus Dile (Heinrich Theil), mentioned in a document from Strasbourg in 1273, and Conradus Thyle, a resident of Freiburg im Breisgau in 1297.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the THEIL surname became more widespread across German-speaking regions. Notable individuals from this period include Johannes Theil (1355-1420), a scholar and canon lawyer from Nuremberg, and Matthias Theil (1460-1528), a renowned painter and woodcarver from Worms.

In the 16th century, the THEIL surname appeared in various place names, such as Theilheim in Bavaria and Theillitz in Saxony, further reinforcing its connection to geographic locations. One notable figure from this era was Hieronymus Theil (1530-1598), a prominent humanist scholar and educator from Nuremberg.

Other historical figures with the THEIL surname include Johann Friedrich Theil (1697-1762), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Leipzig, and Carl Samuel Theil (1778-1846), a German mathematician and statistician known for his contributions to the field of probability theory.

Throughout its history, the THEIL surname has been carried by individuals from various professions and backgrounds, including artists, scholars, lawyers, and mathematicians. While the name originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Theil

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

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

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

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