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

Vensel, 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 Vensel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vensel in America

Vensel is the 48628th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vensel surname appeared 434 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 Vensel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vensel 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 Vensel

The surname Vensel is of German origin and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, where it was derived from the Germanic personal name Wenzel or Wenceslaus. This name ultimately comes from the Slavic word "venik," meaning "wreath" or "crown."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Vensel surname can be found in the town records of Weimar, Germany, from the year 1492. Here, a citizen named Hans Vensel is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction. The surname also appears in various church records from the 16th and 17th centuries, often spelled as "Ventzell" or "Vensell."

In the 18th century, the Vensel surname began to spread beyond Saxony as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Vensel (1712-1785), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Schmalkalden, and Christoph Vensel (1733-1801), a Lutheran theologian and author from Erfurt.

As the name crossed national borders, it underwent various spelling variations. For example, in the Netherlands, it was sometimes rendered as "Vensell" or "Vensels," while in parts of Switzerland, the spelling "Ventzell" was more common.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Vensel surname in the United States can be found in the passenger lists of the ship "Minerva," which arrived in Philadelphia in 1751 carrying several Vensel families from the Palatinate region of Germany.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the Vensel surname, including:

1. Johann Vensel (1712-1785), the clockmaker from Schmalkalden mentioned earlier.
2. Christoph Vensel (1733-1801), the Lutheran theologian and author from Erfurt.
3. Friedrich Vensel (1822-1891), a German-American farmer and politician who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
4. Alois Vensel (1856-1932), an Austrian painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
5. Erwin Vensel (1888-1945), a German film actor and director who appeared in numerous silent films during the 1920s.

While the Vensel surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, often carried by immigrants from German-speaking regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vensel

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

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

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

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