2000
#21,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.41
Rare Last name
Hentschel
A surname derived from a Middle High German word meaning "little rooster" or "chicken".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,275 Americans carry the last name Hentschel. That puts it at #23,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 268,827 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hentschel 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
1.3K
1 in 268,827
Census rank
#23,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,112 bearers of the surname Hentschel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hentschel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hentschel
The surname HENTSCHEL is of German origin and dates back to the late medieval period in Central Europe. It is derived from the German word "Hentschel," which is a diminutive form of the male given name "Heinrich." This name ultimately traces back to the Germanic elements "heim" (home) and "ric" (ruler or power).
The earliest recorded instances of the HENTSCHEL surname can be found in various German regions during the 13th and 14th centuries. It was particularly prevalent in areas like Saxony, Silesia, and Bohemia, where many families adopted hereditary surnames during this time. The name was likely given to individuals whose ancestors were nicknamed "little Heinrich" or who were associated with someone by that name.
In the 15th century, the HENTSCHEL surname appeared in various historical records and documents, such as tax rolls and guild registers. One notable early bearer was Hans Hentschel, a merchant and guild member in the city of Leipzig, born around 1420.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the HENTSCHEL name continued to spread across German-speaking regions, with some families also migrating to neighboring countries like Poland and the Czech lands. In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Hentschel (1701-1784), a German theologian and philosopher, made significant contributions to the field of education and pedagogy.
The 19th century saw the HENTSCHEL name gaining further prominence, with individuals like Ernst Hentschel (1804-1875), a German composer and music educator, and Albert Hentschel (1861-1942), a German astronomer and astrophysicist known for his work on stellar spectroscopy.
As the HENTSCHEL name spread across Europe and beyond, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Hentzel, Hentzel, and Hentschell. However, the core meaning and origin remained rooted in the German diminutive form of the name Heinrich.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the HENTSCHEL surname, including Alfred Hentschel (1892-1974), a German naval officer and submarine commander during World War I; Erwin Hentschel (1904-1986), a German physicist and pioneer in the field of X-ray spectroscopy; and Ralf Hentschel (born 1962), a German football player and manager.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hentschel
Among Census respondents with the surname Hentschel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hentschel 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 Hentschel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,028
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 39
- Two or more races2.9% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hentschel
Hentschel 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
#22,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,128
+12 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 979 places
2020
#23,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,112
-16 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 836 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,742 | 1,116 | 0.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,721 | 1,128 | 0.38 | +12 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 979 places |
| 2020 | #23,557 | 1,112 | 0.37 | -16 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 836 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 Hentschel 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 | #22,721 | #23,557 | -3.7% |
| Count | 1,128 | 1,112 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.37 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hentschel bearers went from 1,128 to 1,112 (-1.4% change). The surname moved down 836 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,721 to #23,557.
FAQ
Hentschel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hentschel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,275 living Americans carry the surname Hentschel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 268,827 residents.
How common is Hentschel?
Hentschel ranks #23,557 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,112 people with the surname Hentschel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,275), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Hentschel.
Has Hentschel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hentschel went from 1,128 recorded bearers to 1,112. That is a decrease of 16 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,721 to #23,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Hentschel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hentschel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hentschel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,028 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hentschel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hentschel (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 Hentschel mean?
A surname derived from a Middle High German word meaning "little rooster" or "chicken". 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 Hentschel (0.37 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 Hentschel?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.