2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Winckel
An occupational surname referring to a dealer in wine or wine merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Winckel. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Winckel 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Winckel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Winckel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Winckel
The surname Winckel has its origins in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. It is predominantly found in the German-speaking regions, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Saxony. The name is derived from the Middle High German word winkel, which means "corner" or "nook." This suggests that the original bearers of the name may have lived by a distinctive corner or bend in a road or river, or it could also refer to someone who worked or owned a shop located at a corner.
The first historical references to the surname appear in medieval tax registers and land records. One of the earliest known instances is in a Bavarian registry from the 13th century, where a Johann Winckel is recorded as a landowner in 1246. The spelling of the name has seen variations over time, including Winkle, Wyncle, and Winkler, though Winckel has remained relatively consistent in German-speaking regions.
In cities like Nuremberg and Leipzig, the Winckel family name appears in numerous guild records and municipal documents from the 14th and 15th centuries. For instance, Hans Winckel, a notable stonemason from Nuremberg, is recorded in civic building projects around 1380. His contributions to the Nuremberg Cathedral's west tower earned him recognition and respect in the community.
Further evidence of the name’s prestige can be found in the late 16th century with Georg Winckel, a magistrate in the city of Augsburg, born in 1542 and passing in 1603. He played a significant role in local governance and was known for his fair administration and efforts to support the local economy and education systems.
Moving into the 18th century, Christoph Winckel, a renowned organ builder born in 1727, gained fame for his craftsmanship in constructing intricate and high-quality organs in the Saxon region. His works were celebrated in many churches and concert halls, and some of his instruments are still preserved today.
The Winckel lineage continues to be seen in notable individuals such as Ernst Winckel, a philologist and writer born in 1816. His academic contributions to the study of Germanic languages and his written works on medieval literature earned him a permanent place in German cultural history. Ernst's legacy includes several published volumes that shed light on the evolution of the German language and its dialects.
In the realm of science, Karl Friedrich Winckel, born in 1868, made significant strides in the field of chemistry. His research on organic compounds and contributions to industrial chemistry earned him a professorship at a leading German university, further cementing the Winckel name as one associated with intellectual and professional achievements.
The history of the Winckel surname demonstrates its deep roots in Germanic culture and its association with various professions and crafts. Over centuries, the bearers of this surname have contributed significantly to their fields, leaving a lasting mark on both local and academic histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Winckel
Among Census respondents with the surname Winckel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Winckel 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 Winckel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 94
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Winckel
Winckel 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 361 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 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 361 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 Winckel 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 | #152,989 | -0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 105 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Winckel bearers went from 107 to 105 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,989.
FAQ
Winckel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Winckel?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Winckel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Winckel?
Winckel ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Winckel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Winckel.
Has Winckel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Winckel went from 107 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Winckel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Winckel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Winckel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Winckel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Winckel (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 Winckel mean?
An occupational surname referring to a dealer in wine or wine merchant. 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 Winckel (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 Winckel?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Winckel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.