2000
#13,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Biel
A Swiss habitational surname derived from place names meaning "hatchet" or "axe" in Middle High German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,471 Americans carry the last name Biel. That puts it at #13,493 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Biel 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Biel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,711
Census rank
#13,493
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,155 bearers of the surname Biel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13493rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Biel, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Biel
The surname Biel has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "biele," which means "hill" or "slope," suggesting that the name may have originated from a geographic location or a topographic feature.
The earliest known record of the name Biel can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Lubecensis, a collection of documents related to the city of Lübeck, Germany, dated around 1270. This suggests that the name was present in Northern Germany during the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, there are mentions of the surname Biel in various historical records, such as the Hanseatic League's trade documents. This indicates that individuals with this name were involved in the commercial activities of the powerful trading association that dominated maritime commerce in Northern Europe during that period.
One notable individual bearing the surname Biel was Gabriel Biel, a renowned German scholastic philosopher and theologian who lived from around 1420 to 1495. He was an influential figure in the late medieval period and is considered one of the last great thinkers of the scholastic tradition.
Another prominent figure with the surname Biel was Johann Christian Biel, a German astronomer born in 1711. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and is best known for his work on the orbital calculations of comets.
In the 18th century, the surname Biel can be found in various records from the German states, including birth and marriage registers. This suggests that the name had spread across various regions of Germany by this time.
The name Biel also appears in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as Switzerland and Austria, indicating that individuals with this surname may have migrated or had ancestors who emigrated from Germany to other regions.
One notable Swiss individual with the surname Biel was Johann Jakob Biel, a Swiss theologian and philosopher who lived from 1671 to 1732. He was known for his contributions to the study of natural law and moral philosophy.
The surname Biel can also be found in historical records from other parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant German immigration, such as the United States and Canada. This suggests that individuals bearing this name may have been part of the German diaspora that spread across the globe in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Biel
Among Census respondents with the surname Biel, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Biel 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 Biel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 1,829
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 147
- Black or African American5.6% · 120
- Two or more races1.7% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Biel
Biel 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
#13,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
+228 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 143 places
2020
#13,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,155
-204 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 483 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,153 | 2,131 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,010 | 2,359 | 0.80 | +228 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 143 places |
| 2020 | #13,493 | 2,155 | 0.72 | -204 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 483 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 Biel 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 | #13,010 | #13,493 | -3.7% |
| Count | 2,359 | 2,155 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.72 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Biel bearers went from 2,359 to 2,155 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 483 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,010 to #13,493.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Biel
FAQ
Biel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Biel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,471 living Americans carry the surname Biel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,711 residents.
How common is Biel?
Biel ranks #13,493 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,155 people with the surname Biel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,471), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Biel.
Has Biel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Biel went from 2,359 recorded bearers to 2,155. That is a decrease of 204 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,010 to #13,493.
What does the Census say about the background of Biel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Biel, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (5.6%). 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 Biel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (1,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Biel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Hispanic (6.8%), Black (5.6%). 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 Biel (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 Biel mean?
A Swiss habitational surname derived from place names meaning "hatchet" or "axe" in Middle High German. 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 Biel (0.72 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 Biel?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.