Hummel
A German surname that likely began as a nickname, probably from the word for a bumblebee or a buzzing, bustling person.
The #2,453 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,982 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hummel is a German surname most often explained as a nickname. In German, the word hummel refers to a bumblebee, and surnames from animals or vivid nicknames were very common in medieval naming. Some older writers also linked it with related Germanic name elements such as Hun- or with the Old Norse personal name Humbl, but the simplest and best-known explanation is that it came from a descriptive nickname.
History
The surname is found in German-speaking areas and later appears in broader European records, including references in older English surname literature. Because similar-looking forms sometimes overlap with names like Humble, Humblot, and other regional variants, early etymologists did not always agree on a single origin. Today it is generally treated as a German surname with nickname roots rather than a clearly occupational or locational name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers sometimes glossed Hummel with words meaning ‘bumblebee’ or ‘hornet,’ which shows how often medieval surnames began as colorful nicknames.
From the historical record
“Humble. A.S. Hunbeald ; G. Humbolt (Hun the bold) ; D. Humble, Hummel ; Fr. Hum- blet ; p.n. Humby. A loc. n., Lines Hume. A loc. n., Berwick Humm. G., Dch. Humme, p.n.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)