Žernechel last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Žernechel

A German surname derived from a location or town name.

Žernechel, 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 Žernechel surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Žernechel in America

Žernechel is the 147095th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Žernechel surname appeared 103 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Žernechel.

The history of the last name Žernechel

The surname Zernechel is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, likely within the regions that today comprise parts of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The first known records of the surname date back to the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. The name Zernechel appears to derive from older Slavic roots, possibly relating to local dialects or geographic names in the region.

The etymology of Zernechel suggests a connection to agricultural or rural settings, with "zerna" hinting at an old Slavic word for "grain" or "seed" and "chel" potentially indicating a diminutive form or a suffix related to geographical areas, possibly a farm or a settlement. The combination of these elements may suggest that the name was initially used to describe individuals who worked with grain or lived near fertile lands.

The surname appears in several historical manuscripts and records. One of the earliest references is in a 15th-century tax ledger from the region of Silesia, where a family bearing the name Zernechel was noted for their contributions to local agricultural production. Over the centuries, the name evolved in spelling as it was transcribed in various documents, reflecting phonetic changes and adaptations to different languages and dialects.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Zernechel is Marek Zernechel, born in 1452, a revered grain merchant in Kraków, Poland. Another notable figure is Anselm Zernechel, a 16th-century scholar and scribe from Prague, who made significant contributions to the preservation of local folklore in his writings.

In the 17th century, records from Brandenburg show the presence of Heinrich Zernechel, born in 1623, who was a prominent member of the local community and played a crucial role in rebuilding efforts after the Thirty Years' War. In the 18th century, the name appears again with Johan Zernechel, a landowner in the rural areas of Saxony, born in 1710, who was influential in agricultural innovations of the period.

By the 19th century, Maria Zernechel, born 1804, emerged as a noted cultural figure, contributing to the literary scene in Vienna with her poetry and essays that reflected rural lifestyles and traditions. Her works offer valuable insights into the customs and societal norms of her time, shedding light on the life and environment from which the surname Zernechel originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Žernechel

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Žernechel was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 98.06% 101
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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.

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

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

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"Žernechel last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/zernechel-surname-popularity/.

"Žernechel last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/zernechel-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 August, 2025

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

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