2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Thienel
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Tünne" meaning "barrel" or "cask".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Thienel. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thienel 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Thienel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thienel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thienel
The surname Thienel has its roots in the German language and originated in the regions of central and southern Germany. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "diunil," which means "little servant" or "servant boy." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to those who worked as servants or attendants in households or estates.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Thienel surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Westphalia, dating back to the 9th century. The name appears as "Thiunil," indicating its antiquity and the gradual evolution of its spelling over time.
During the Middle Ages, the Thienel name was associated with several notable figures. Johannes Thienel, born in 1435 in Nuremberg, was a renowned artisan and metalworker who crafted intricate religious artifacts for churches and noblemen across the Holy Roman Empire. His works are still displayed in museums and exhibitions throughout Europe.
In the 16th century, Johann Thienel, a Lutheran theologian and scholar from Saxony, played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Born in 1512, he was a contemporary of Martin Luther and contributed to the translation of the Bible into the German vernacular.
The Thienel surname also has ties to various place names across Germany. For instance, the village of Thieneln in Bavaria was once home to a prominent family bearing this name. Additionally, the town of Thienelshausen in Hesse is believed to have derived its name from the Thienel lineage.
Another notable figure was Christoph Thienel, born in 1674 in Dresden, who was a celebrated composer and organist during the Baroque period. His works were performed at the court of the Elector of Saxony and influenced the development of German baroque music.
In the 19th century, Karl Thienel, born in 1818 in Hamburg, was a prominent businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the expansion of the city's maritime trade and shipbuilding industry.
Throughout history, the Thienel surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, scholars, musicians, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diversity of its origins and the contributions made by those bearing this name across different regions and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thienel
Among Census respondents with the surname Thienel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Thienel 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 Thienel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thienel
Thienel 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,423 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 Thienel 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 | #152,628 | #150,205 | 1.6% |
| Count | 107 | 109 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thienel bearers went from 107 to 109 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,423 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #150,205.
FAQ
Thienel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thienel?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Thienel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Thienel?
Thienel ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Thienel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Thienel.
Has Thienel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thienel went from 107 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Thienel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thienel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Thienel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thienel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Thienel (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 Thienel mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Tünne" meaning "barrel" or "cask". 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 Thienel (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 are called Thienel?
Want to know how many people have the surname Thienel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.