2000
#99,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Essel
A German surname derived from the Old German word "Esso" meaning "house" or "homestead."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 415 Americans carry the last name Essel. That puts it at #60,172 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 825,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Essel 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 Essel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
415
1 in 825,914
Census rank
#60,172
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
362
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 362 bearers of the surname Essel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60172nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Essel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.5%. The next largest groups are White (30.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Essel
The surname Essel is of German origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Essel," which means "donkey" or "ass." This name was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who exhibited characteristics or physical traits reminiscent of a donkey, such as stubbornness or strength.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Essel can be found in the town records of Cologne, Germany, dating back to 1287, where a person named Henrich Essel is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Würzburg municipal archives from 1311, which lists a Kunrad Essel.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. During this time, the spelling variations included Essell, Esell, and Ezel. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and phonetic changes over time.
A notable bearer of the Essel name was Johann Essel, a German cartographer and mathematician who lived from 1566 to 1624. He is best known for his work "Novae Terrae Descriptio" (Description of a New Land), which was one of the first detailed maps of the Americas.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Essel, a German industrialist and founder of the Essel Group, a conglomerate involved in various industries, including steel, chemicals, and machinery. He was born in 1861 and passed away in 1934.
In the 16th century, the name Essel was also found in some place names, such as Esselbach, a small town in Bavaria. This suggests that some families may have derived their surname from the place where they lived or originated.
Other notable bearers of the Essel surname include:
1. Friedrich Essel (1805-1887), a German politician and lawyer.
2. Theodor Essel (1868-1943), a German painter and printmaker.
3. Hans Essel (1900-1973), a German writer and filmmaker.
4. Elsa Essel (1902-1983), a German-American painter and textile artist.
5. Karl Essel (1911-1994), a German film director and screenwriter.
While the surname Essel is of German origin, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and has been adopted by families of different ethnicities and nationalities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Essel
Among Census respondents with the surname Essel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.5%. The next largest groups are White (30.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Essel 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 Essel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.5% · 230
- White30.1% · 109
- Two or more races3.9% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Essel
Essel 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
#79,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 238
+70 bearers (+41.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 19,879 places
2020
#60,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 362
+124 bearers (+52.1%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 19,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,725 | 168 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #79,846 | 238 | 0.08 | +70 bearers (+41.7%) | Up 19,879 places |
| 2020 | #60,172 | 362 | 0.12 | +124 bearers (+52.1%) | Up 19,674 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 Essel 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 | #79,846 | #60,172 | 24.6% |
| Count | 238 | 362 | 52.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.12 | 51.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Essel bearers went from 238 to 362 (+52.1% change). The surname moved up 19,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #79,846 to #60,172.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Essel
FAQ
Essel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Essel?
Name Census estimates that about 415 living Americans carry the surname Essel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 825,914 residents.
How common is Essel?
Essel ranks #60,172 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 362 people with the surname Essel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Essel.
Has Essel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Essel went from 238 recorded bearers to 362. That is an increase of 124 (+52.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #79,846 to #60,172.
What does the Census say about the background of Essel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Essel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.5%. The next largest groups are White (30.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Essel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.5% (230 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Essel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.5%), White (30.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Essel (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 Essel mean?
A German surname derived from the Old German word "Esso" meaning "house" or "homestead." 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 Essel (0.12 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 Essel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.