2000
#35,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 596
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Ressel
A surname derived from the German word "Reussel" meaning a small stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 681 Americans carry the last name Ressel. That puts it at #39,885 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 503,310 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ressel 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
681
1 in 503,310
Census rank
#39,885
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
594
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 594 bearers of the surname Ressel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39885th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ressel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ressel
The surname RESSEL originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ressel," which means "small stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a small body of water or a stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RESSEL can be found in the parish records of the town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. In the year 1587, a man named Hans RESSEL was listed as a resident of the town.
During the 17th century, the RESSEL name began to spread across various regions of Germany, with families bearing this surname settling in areas such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. In the city of Leipzig, a merchant named Johann RESSEL is recorded as having lived and conducted business in the early 1600s.
As the RESSEL family continued to grow and establish themselves in different parts of Germany, some members gained recognition for their contributions to various fields. One notable figure was Johann Gottlieb RESSEL, born in 1784 in the town of Wendisch-Ossig, Saxony. He was an inventor and pioneer in the field of steam navigation, credited with developing the first ship propelled by a screw propeller.
Another prominent individual with the RESSEL surname was Karl RESSEL, a German sculptor born in 1843 in the city of Dresden. His works, which included statues and architectural decorations, can still be found adorning various buildings and public spaces throughout Germany.
In the late 19th century, the RESSEL family began to expand beyond the borders of Germany, with some members immigrating to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Johann RESSEL, who left his homeland in 1887 and settled in the United States, where he became a successful farmer in the state of Illinois.
Throughout the centuries, the RESSEL name has been associated with various professions and occupations, including artisans, craftsmen, scholars, and entrepreneurs. While the surname may have originated from a humble reference to a small stream, it has since become a part of the rich tapestry of German history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ressel
Among Census respondents with the surname Ressel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ressel 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 Ressel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 545
- Two or more races5.2% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ressel
Ressel 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
#51,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 407
-189 bearers (-31.7%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 15,510 places
2020
#39,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 594
+187 bearers (+45.9%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 11,291 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,666 | 596 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,176 | 407 | 0.14 | -189 bearers (-31.7%) | Down 15,510 places |
| 2020 | #39,885 | 594 | 0.20 | +187 bearers (+45.9%) | Up 11,291 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 Ressel 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 | #51,176 | #39,885 | 22.1% |
| Count | 407 | 594 | 45.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.20 | 41.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ressel bearers went from 407 to 594 (+45.9% change). The surname moved up 11,291 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,176 to #39,885.
FAQ
Ressel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ressel?
Name Census estimates that about 681 living Americans carry the surname Ressel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 503,310 residents.
How common is Ressel?
Ressel ranks #39,885 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 594 people with the surname Ressel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (681), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Ressel.
Has Ressel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ressel went from 407 recorded bearers to 594. That is an increase of 187 (+45.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #51,176 to #39,885.
What does the Census say about the background of Ressel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ressel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Ressel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (545 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ressel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Ressel (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 Ressel mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Reussel" meaning a small stream or brook. 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 Ressel (0.20 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 Americans have the surname Ressel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.