Unsell last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Unsell

A surname suggesting failure to sell or market successfully.

Unsell, 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 Unsell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Unsell in America

Unsell is the 70403rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Unsell surname appeared 278 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 Unsell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Unsell 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 70403 60557 15.04%
Count 278 311 -11.21%
Proportion per 100k 0.09 0.12 -28.57%

The history of the last name Unsell

The surname UNSELL has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was initially spelled as "Unseler" or "Unselher". The name is derived from the Old High German words "un" meaning "not" and "sele" meaning "salvation" or "soul".

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Palatinate region of Germany, where a certain Cuntz Unseler was mentioned in a legal document dated 1387. Another early reference to the name appears in the town of Augsburg, where a certain Hans Unseler was listed as a resident in the city's records from the year 1412.

During the 15th century, the surname began to spread to other parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Swabia and Franconia. In the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a certain Jorg Unsel was recorded as a citizen in 1463.

By the 16th century, the name had evolved into its modern spelling of "UNSELL". One notable bearer of this surname was Hans Unsell, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1494 to 1573. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and served as a pastor in the town of Nuremberg.

Another significant figure with the surname UNSELL was Johann Unsell, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1569 to 1631. He is known for his religious artwork and his contributions to the development of printmaking techniques.

In the 17th century, the surname UNSELL began to appear in other parts of Europe, as German families migrated to neighboring countries. One notable example was Johann Gottfried Unsell, a German-born architect who lived from 1676 to 1736 and worked in the city of Breslau, which is now part of Poland.

During the 18th century, the UNSELL surname gained further recognition with the birth of Johann Christian Unsell, a German composer and organist who lived from 1727 to 1799. He is particularly known for his contributions to church music and his compositions for the organ.

As the centuries passed, the UNSELL surname continued to spread across Europe and eventually reached other parts of the world through immigration. While the name may have evolved in spelling or pronunciation, its roots can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Central Europe and its long history spanning several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Unsell

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

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 Unsell was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 92.45% 257
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.88% 8
Hispanic Origin 2.88% 8

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 Unsell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 92.45% 90.68% 1.93%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 2.89% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.88% 3.86% -29.08%
Hispanic 2.88% 1.93% 39.50%

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

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

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"Unsell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/unsell-surname-popularity/.

"Unsell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/unsell-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Unsell last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/unsell-surname-popularity/.

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