Explore the Family Name Vogel

The meaning of Vogel

1. German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German, Middle Low German vogel, German Vogel ‘bird’, applied as a nickname for a happy person or someone who liked to sing, or a metonymic occupational name for a bird catcher. As a Jewish name it is mainly artificial. The surname of German origin is also found e.g. in Poland, Czechia, and Slovenia, where it was often applied as a translation into German of Slavic cognates like Czech Pták and Polish Ptak or Czech Ptáček (see Ptacek). It is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine). Compare Bird, Fogal, Fogel, and Fogle. 2. Germanized form (translation into German) of Sorbian Ptačk: nickname from an Upper Sorbian diminutive of ptak ‘bird’. 3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish female personal name Foygl, cognate with 1 above. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Hans, Gerhard, Manfred, Wolfgang, Erwin, Otto, Bernhard, Dieter, Franz, Fritz, Heinz.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Vogel in the United States has slightly decreased over time. In 2000, Vogel was ranked as the 1052nd most popular surname, with a count of 30,388 individuals carrying the name. By 2010, despite the total number of people with this last name increasing marginally to 30,470, its rank had fallen to 1153rd. This represents a change of -9.6 in rank and a minimal growth of 0.27 in count.

20002010Change
Rank#1,052#1,153-9.6%
Count30,38830,4700.27%
Proportion per 100k11.2610.33-8.26%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Vogel

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the Vogel surname identify as White, at 94.99% in 2010, down from 96.40% in 2000. There has been an increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, rising from 0.47% in 2000 to 0.64% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of those reporting two or more ethnic identities increased from 1.02% to 1.11%. There was also a significant increase in the percentage of Vogels identifying as Hispanic, jumping from 1.48% to 2.49%. The percentage of Vogels who identify as Black also rose from 0.36% to 0.49%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a slight increase from 0.27% to 0.28%.

20002010Change
White96.4%94.99%-1.46%
Hispanic1.48%2.49%68.24%
Two or More Races1.02%1.11%8.82%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.47%0.64%36.17%
Black0.36%0.49%36.11%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.27%0.28%3.7%

Vogel ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Vogel is French & German, which comprises 36.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (32.4%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (8.3%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German36.5%
British & Irish32.4%
Ashkenazi Jewish8.3%
Other22.7%
Vogel

Possible origins of the surname Vogel

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Vogel have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom69.70%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom69.30%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom69.20%
West Midlands, United Kingdom69.20%
Merseyside, United Kingdom69.10%

What Vogel haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Vogel is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Schneider, Weber, Meyers, Wagner, Becker, Gross, Schmidt, Bauer, Miller, Mueller.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Vogel surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

vogelPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Vogel have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Vogel

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Vogel" Surname 41.2%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Vogel

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Vogel" Surname 21.7%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Vogel

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Vogel" Surname 18.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Vogel

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Vogel" Surname 16.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Vogel?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Vogel are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%