2000
#3,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,432
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.50
Uncommon Last name
Thiel
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic surname referring to someone living near a plank bridge or wooden plank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,840 Americans carry the last name Thiel. That puts it at #3,659 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,619 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thiel 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Thiel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,619
Census rank
#3,659
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,453 bearers of the surname Thiel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3659th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thiel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thiel
The surname Thiel is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "dil" or "dille," meaning a wooden floor or plank. It is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century, when it was likely used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near or worked with wooden floors or planks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thiel can be found in the historical records of the town of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany, where a certain Konrad Thiel was mentioned in a document from the year 1383. This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of southern Germany by the late Middle Ages.
The Thiel surname is also found in various medieval records and manuscripts from other regions of Germany, such as the Rheinland and Westphalia. In some cases, the name was spelled slightly differently, such as Thyl or Thyll, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Thiel was Hans Thiel, a German painter and engraver who was born in Nuremberg around 1500. He is known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings, many of which depicted religious themes or scenes from the Bible.
Another prominent individual with the Thiel surname was Johann Friedrich Thiel (1701-1761), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and wrote extensively on topics ranging from theology to natural philosophy.
In the 19th century, Johann August Thiel (1810-1889) was a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of the city of Dresden. He designed several notable buildings and public spaces in the city, including the Semper Opera House and the Zwinger Palace.
While the Thiel surname is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and diaspora communities. For example, there are individuals with the Thiel surname in countries such as the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as in the United States and other nations with significant German immigrant populations.
Overall, the surname Thiel has a rich history rooted in the German language and culture, reflecting the traditions and occupations of its earliest bearers. Despite its widespread dispersal over the centuries, it remains a distinctly Germanic name with a strong connection to its ancestral origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thiel
Among Census respondents with the surname Thiel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Thiel 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 Thiel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 8,719
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 325
- Two or more races2.7% · 259
- Black or African American0.7% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thiel
Thiel 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
#3,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,880
+448 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.35
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#3,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,453
-427 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 3.16
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,463 | 9,432 | 3.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,601 | 9,880 | 3.35 | +448 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #3,659 | 9,453 | 3.16 | -427 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 58 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 Thiel 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 | #3,601 | #3,659 | -1.6% |
| Count | 9,880 | 9,453 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.35 | 3.16 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thiel bearers went from 9,880 to 9,453 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,601 to #3,659.
FAQ
Thiel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thiel?
Name Census estimates that about 10,840 living Americans carry the surname Thiel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,619 residents.
How common is Thiel?
Thiel ranks #3,659 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,453 people with the surname Thiel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,840), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Thiel.
Has Thiel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thiel went from 9,880 recorded bearers to 9,453. That is a decrease of 427 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,601 to #3,659.
What does the Census say about the background of Thiel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thiel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Thiel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (8,719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thiel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Thiel (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 Thiel mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic surname referring to someone living near a plank bridge or wooden plank. 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 Thiel (3.16 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 Thiel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.