Explore the Family Name Gissel

The meaning of Gissel

North German and Danish: from a personal name based on ancient Germanic gīsil ‘pledge, hostage, noble youth’ (see Giesel).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Gissel in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Gissel has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 76,465th most common surname but dropped to the 78,040th spot in 2010, marking a 2.06% drop in ranking. However, the actual count of individuals with the Gissel surname increased by 4.7%, from 234 in 2000 to 245 in 2010. The proportion per 100k people also saw a decline of 11.11%, moving from 0.09 in 2000 to 0.08 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#76,465#78,040-2.06%
Count2342454.7%
Proportion per 100k0.090.08-11.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gissel

The Decennial U.S. Census data shows interesting shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the Gissel surname between 2000 and 2010. The majority identified as White, though this percentage decreased from 96.58% in 2000 to 88.57% in 2010. Meanwhile, there was an increase in those identifying as Hispanic, rising dramatically from 2.14% in 2000 to 6.94% in 2010. There was also a new appearance of individuals identifying as Black in 2010, which was not recorded in the previous census. No changes were noted for those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
White96.58%88.57%-8.29%
Hispanic2.14%6.94%224.3%
Black0%2.45%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%