2000
#6,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,536
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Cassel
A toponymic surname derived from any of various places named Cassel, meaning "castle" in Old French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,132 Americans carry the last name Cassel. That puts it at #7,199 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,788 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cassel 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 Cassel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 66,788
Census rank
#7,199
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,475 bearers of the surname Cassel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7199th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cassel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cassel
The surname Cassel is of German origin, derived from the word "Kassel," which is the name of a city in the central region of Germany. The name likely arose as a locational surname, given to individuals who hailed from or lived in the city of Kassel.
The city of Kassel dates back to the 8th century, and the name itself is believed to have its roots in the Old Germanic words "Cas" and "sala," which together mean "a place to live." This suggests that the name Cassel was associated with a settlement or dwelling place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cassel can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript from the 9th century that documents land transactions and property ownership in the region around Kassel.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Heinrich von Cassel was mentioned in the Annals of Saxony, a historical chronicle that recorded events in the region during that period. Heinrich von Cassel was a knight and landowner in the area surrounding the city of Kassel.
During the 16th century, a prominent individual named Johannes Cassel (1516-1592) was a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation. He was born in Kassel and became a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church.
In the 18th century, a notable person with the surname Cassel was Sir Philip Cassel (1707-1777), a British merchant and banker who was involved in the financial affairs of the East India Company. Although born in England, his family roots can be traced back to the German city of Kassel.
Another notable figure with the surname Cassel was Ernst Cassel (1852-1921), a Swedish economist and sociologist who made significant contributions to the field of economics. He was born in Germany but later immigrated to Sweden, where he became a prominent academic and writer.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Cassel, which can be traced back to the German city of Kassel and its Old Germanic roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cassel
Among Census respondents with the surname Cassel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cassel 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 Cassel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 3,887
- Two or more races4.0% · 180
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 177
- Black or African American3.8% · 171
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cassel
Cassel 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
#6,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,851
+315 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#7,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,475
-376 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,833 | 4,536 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,916 | 4,851 | 1.64 | +315 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #7,199 | 4,475 | 1.50 | -376 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 283 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 Cassel 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 | #6,916 | #7,199 | -4.1% |
| Count | 4,851 | 4,475 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.50 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cassel bearers went from 4,851 to 4,475 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 283 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,916 to #7,199.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cassel
FAQ
Cassel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cassel?
Name Census estimates that about 5,132 living Americans carry the surname Cassel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,788 residents.
How common is Cassel?
Cassel ranks #7,199 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 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 4,475 people with the surname Cassel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 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 Cassel.
Has Cassel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cassel went from 4,851 recorded bearers to 4,475. That is a decrease of 376 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,916 to #7,199.
What does the Census say about the background of Cassel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cassel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Cassel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (3,887 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cassel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Cassel (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 Cassel mean?
A toponymic surname derived from any of various places named Cassel, meaning "castle" in Old French. 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 Cassel (1.50 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 have the last name Cassel?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Cassel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.