2000
#32,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 677
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Andel
A locational surname derived from the German village of Andel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 812 Americans carry the last name Andel. That puts it at #34,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 422,111 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Andel 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
812
1 in 422,111
Census rank
#34,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
708
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 708 bearers of the surname Andel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Andel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Andel
The surname ANDEL is believed to have originated in Germany during the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "andel," which referred to a specific type of cultivated land or farm. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for someone who lived on or worked on such a piece of land.
The earliest known records of the name ANDEL date back to the 12th century, when it appeared in various medieval documents and charters from regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. One notable example is a reference to a farmer named Heinricus Andel in a land deed from the year 1187 in the city of Augsburg.
In the following centuries, the name continued to spread across different parts of Germany, with various spellings and variations emerging, such as Andeln, Anndel, and Andeler. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or the way the name was pronounced in different regions.
One of the earliest known bearers of the ANDEL surname was Johannes Andel, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 14th century. Records show that he was involved in trade and owned several properties within the city walls.
Another notable figure was Katharina Andel, a renowned herbalist and midwife who lived in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the 16th century. Her expertise in herbal remedies and her assistance in childbirth were widely sought after, and she was respected within her community.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the ANDEL name appeared in various church records and municipal documents across different German states, indicating its continued presence and spread. One example is Peter Andel, a master craftsman and guild member in the city of Leipzig, who was recorded in guild records from the late 17th century.
In the 19th century, the ANDEL surname gained further recognition with the birth of Johann Andel, a renowned composer and music teacher born in 1823 in the town of Plauen, Saxony. His compositions and contributions to music education were widely appreciated during his lifetime.
Another notable figure was Karl Andel, a German explorer and naturalist born in 1860 in the city of Dresden. He led several expeditions to South America and made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the Amazon region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Andel
Among Census respondents with the surname Andel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Andel 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 Andel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 663
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 22
- Two or more races1.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Andel
Andel 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
#39,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 565
-112 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 6,875 places
2020
#34,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 708
+143 bearers (+25.3%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 4,524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,129 | 677 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,004 | 565 | 0.19 | -112 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 6,875 places |
| 2020 | #34,480 | 708 | 0.24 | +143 bearers (+25.3%) | Up 4,524 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 Andel 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 | #39,004 | #34,480 | 11.6% |
| Count | 565 | 708 | 25.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.24 | 24.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Andel bearers went from 565 to 708 (+25.3% change). The surname moved up 4,524 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,004 to #34,480.
FAQ
Andel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Andel?
Name Census estimates that about 812 living Americans carry the surname Andel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 422,111 residents.
How common is Andel?
Andel ranks #34,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 708 people with the surname Andel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (812), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Andel.
Has Andel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Andel went from 565 recorded bearers to 708. That is an increase of 143 (+25.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #39,004 to #34,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Andel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Andel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Andel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (663 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Andel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Andel (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 Andel mean?
A locational surname derived from the German village of Andel. 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 Andel (0.24 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 share the surname Andel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.