Explore the Family Name Semmel

The meaning of Semmel

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a baker of white bread rolls (see Semler). The German surname may also be a metonymic occupational name for a dealer in fine wheat flour.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Semmel has seen a decline from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Semmel was ranked 39,946th in terms of popularity among all surnames in the United States. By 2010, it had dropped to the 44,872nd position, marking a decrease of 12.33 percent. The number of people with the Semmel surname also fell from 517 in 2000 to 478 in 2010, representing a reduction of 7.54 percent. The proportion of people named Semmel per 100,000 individuals similarly decreased by 15.79 percent over the same period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#39,946	#44,872	-12.33%
Count	517	478	-7.54%
Proportion per 100k	0.19	0.16	-15.79%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Semmel

The Decennial U.S. Census provides insights into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Semmel as well. In 2000, nearly all (98.07 percent) of those bearing the Semmel name identified as White. This figure fell slightly to 95.61 percent by 2010. The percentage identifying as Hispanic, though small, more than doubled from 0.97 percent in 2000 to 2.09 percent in 2010. There were no individuals who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either 2000 or 2010. However, the data for 2010 shows a new category of individuals who identify with two or more races at 1.67 percent, which was not reported in the 2000 census (data suppressed for privacy).

	2000	2010	Change
White	98.07%	95.61%	-2.51%
Hispanic	0.97%	2.09%	115.46%
Two or More Races	0%	1.67%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%