Show ContentsHummel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bavaria, Germany is the ancestral home of the Hummel family. The Hummel surname evolved as a local name. It is a name for a family that lived in Bavaria from very early times.

Early Origins of the Hummel family

The surname Hummel was first found in Bavaria, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as numerous branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Hummel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hummel research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1778, 1817 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Hummel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hummel Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Hummel include Hummel, Humel, Hummell, Humell, Hummle, Humle and others.

Early Notables of the Hummel family

Prominent among members of the name Hummel in this period include

  • Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837), who was a very successful pianist and composer

Hummel World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hummel is the 2,381st most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Hummel is ranked the 8,437th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2 And in Netherlands, the name Hummel is the 779th popular surname with an estimated 2,466 people with that name. 3


Hummel migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Hummel or a variant listed above:

Hummel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hermann Hummel, who arrived in New York in 1709-10
  • Herman Hummel, who landed in New York in 1709 4
  • Georg Hummel, who arrived in New York, NY in 1710 4
  • Johann Adam Hummel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1732
  • Adam Hummel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hummel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jacob Hummel, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1805 4
  • Margaret Hummel, who arrived in Mississippi in 1820
  • Hannah Hummel, who settled in Georgia in 1840
  • Mr. Michael Hummel, aged 22, from Germany who arrived in Galveston, Texas aboard the ship "Weser" in 1844
  • Franziska Antoinette Hummel, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1847 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hummel Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Joseph Hummel, who landed in Arkansas in 1906 4

Hummel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hummel Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Christian Hummel, aged 26, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
  • Dorothea Hummel, aged 60, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
  • Gottlieb Hummel, aged 64, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
  • Katharina Hummel, aged 22, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
  • Margaretha Hummel, aged 21, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hummel (post 1700) +

  • Richard Lowell "Rick" Hummel (1946-2023), American author and sports columnist best known for his work for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, former president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America
  • Joye Hummel (1924-2021), birth name of Joye Murchison Kelly, an American ghost-writer for a number of "Wonder Woman" stories between 1944 and 1947
  • Mark Hummel (b. 1955), American blues harmonica player, vocalist, songwriter
  • John Edwin Hummel (1883-1959), American Major League Baseball player
  • Elizabeth Hummel (b. 1958), American singer-songwriter voted “Best Acoustic Artist” in 1995
  • Arthur William Hummel (1920-2001), American Ambassador to Pakistan (1977-1981) and the People's Republic of China (1981-85)
  • George H. Hummel, American politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Ansonia, 1916 5
  • Fred P. Hummel, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 24th District, 1893 5
  • Edwin M. Hummel, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 27th District, 1897-1900 5
  • Edward J. Hummel, American Republican politician, Secretary of State of Ohio, 1943-49; Defeated in primary, 1924, 1926, 1938 5
  • ... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 5) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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