2000
#34,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 625
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Yackel
A German surname derived from Jakob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 718 Americans carry the last name Yackel. That puts it at #38,120 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 477,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yackel 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
718
1 in 477,374
Census rank
#38,120
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
626
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 626 bearers of the surname Yackel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38120th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yackel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yackel
The surname Yackel is believed to have its origins in Central Europe, particularly in the German-speaking regions such as Germany and Austria. The name likely dates back to the medieval period, around the 12th to 14th centuries. It is derived from an old Germanic root, possibly "Jakel," which itself could be a diminutive form of the given name Jakob or Jacob. This personal name is derived from the Hebrew name Ya'akov, which means "supplanter" or "one who follows."
Historically, the earliest references to variants of the name can be traced back to medieval manuscripts and church records in German territories. For instance, the name appears in the Waldshut region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the form of "Jaekel" or "Jaekelus." By the 15th century, the surname can be seen in local registers, indicating it had become established in that area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Yackel is from a 1459 document in Bavaria. This record mentions a Heinrich Yackel, a local farmer and tenant. Another historical figure is Christoph Yackel, who lived in the early 17th century (1603-1680) and was noted in parish registers as a miller in the Franconian town of Bamberg.
In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, with wars and shifting borders in Europe, many families bearing the name Yackel emigrated to other parts of the continent and North America. One notable emigrant was Johann Martin Yackel, born in 1685 and emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1720. His descendants played various roles in the early colonial settlements.
Noteworthy individuals from more recent history include Friedrich Yackel (1859-1935), a notable German botanist whose research contributed to the study of Central European flora. Another significant person is Anna Yackel (1888-1973), a social reformer and activist based in Vienna, who played a crucial role in the early feminist movements in Austria.
The surname Yackel, through its long history, illustrates the migration and settlement patterns of Central European populations. It has evolved through various spellings, influenced by linguistic changes and regional dialects, yet continues to be a marker of a rich Germanic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yackel
Among Census respondents with the surname Yackel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Yackel 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 Yackel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 573
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 32
- Two or more races1.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 7
- Black or African American0.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yackel
Yackel 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
#35,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 636
+11 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 1,087 places
2020
#38,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 626
-10 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,725 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,308 | 625 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,395 | 636 | 0.22 | +11 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 1,087 places |
| 2020 | #38,120 | 626 | 0.21 | -10 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 2,725 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 Yackel 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 | #35,395 | #38,120 | -7.7% |
| Count | 636 | 626 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.21 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yackel bearers went from 636 to 626 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 2,725 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,395 to #38,120.
FAQ
Yackel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yackel?
Name Census estimates that about 718 living Americans carry the surname Yackel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 477,374 residents.
How common is Yackel?
Yackel ranks #38,120 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 626 people with the surname Yackel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Yackel.
Has Yackel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yackel went from 636 recorded bearers to 626. That is a decrease of 10 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,395 to #38,120.
What does the Census say about the background of Yackel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yackel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Yackel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (573 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yackel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Yackel (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 Yackel mean?
A German surname derived from Jakob, meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows". 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 Yackel (0.21 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 common is the surname Yackel?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Yackel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.