Explore the Family Name Wachtel

The meaning of Wachtel

1. German: from Middle High German wahtel ‘quail’, a metonymic occupational name for a bird catcher, or a nickname for a person thought to resemble the bird. 2. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name taken from German Wachtel or Yiddish vakhtl ‘quail’. Some characteristic forenames: German Hans, Helmut, Kurt, Bernd, Dieter, Gerda, Klaus, Rosl, Siegmund. Jewish Emanuel, Shaul, Zev, Hyman, Isadore.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Wachtel has slightly decreased over time. In the year 2000, it ranked 14,084 in popularity and by 2010, it moved to 14,636, marking a decrease of about 3.92%. However, the count of people with this surname increased from 1,961 in 2000 to 2,033 in 2010, showing an increase of 3.67%. The proportion per 100,000 inhabitants also saw a drop from 0.73 in 2000 to 0.69 in 2010, which represents a decrease of around 5.48%.

20002010Change
Rank#14,084#14,636-3.92%
Count1,9612,0333.67%
Proportion per 100k0.730.69-5.48%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wachtel

Regarding the ethnicity of those who bear the Wachtel surname, Decennial U.S. Census data shows some changes across the years. People identifying as White represented the highest percentage in both years but dropped by 2.23% from 97.50% in 2000 to 95.33% in 2010. The rate of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic increased significantly between the two census years, with growth rates of 105.56% and 101.71% respectively. Individuals who identified as having two or more races also increased considerably from 0.56% in 2000 to 1.08% in 2010, an upsurge of 92.86%. There were no individuals who identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
White97.5%95.33%-2.23%
Hispanic1.17%2.36%101.71%
Two or More Races0.56%1.08%92.86%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.36%0.74%105.56%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%