Kindel
Derived from the German word Kindel meaning a little child.
Name Census estimates that about 68 living Americans carry the first name Kindel. It is a predominantly female name (93.0% of registrations). The average person named Kindel today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kindel births was 1985 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kindel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kindel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
68
~ 1 in 5,040,505 Americans
Peak year
1985
11 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
1991 SSA rank
#8,957
Tracked since 1971
Census
Kindel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 270 people with the first name Kindel, which placed it at #31,633 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#31,633
National first-name rank
People counted
270
270 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kindel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kindel is White at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (6.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kindel described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kindel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.3% · 187
- Black or African American17.4% · 47
- Two or more races6.7% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Kindel
Kindel leans heavily female at 93.0% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kindel as a male name
- Ranked #8,957 in 1991
- 5 male births in 1991
- Peak: 1991 (5 births)
Kindel as a female name
- Ranked #15,977 in 2012
- 6 female births in 2012
- Peak: 1985 (11 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kindel on both sides of the split. Of the 266 people counted with this name, 71 were male (26.7%) and 195 were female (73.3%).
Popularity
Kindel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kindel from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 30 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kindel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kindel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kindel
Kindel is a given name with roots that can be traced back to the Old German language. It is believed to have originated from the word "kin," which means "child" or "offspring." The earliest recorded usage of the name dates back to the 11th century in the Germanic regions of Europe.
In its early days, Kindel was primarily used as a surname, but over time, it transitioned into a given name. The name gained popularity among German-speaking communities, particularly in the regions of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was often associated with families or individuals who valued the idea of nurturing and caring for children.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Kindel was a German nobleman named Kindel von Rothenburg, who lived in the 12th century. He was known for his charitable efforts and his dedication to providing support for orphaned children in his region.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kindel appeared in several religious texts and records, indicating its usage among devout Christian families. It was often chosen as a name to symbolize the value placed on children and the importance of nurturing them in faith.
In the 16th century, Kindel Hesse, a German artist and engraver, gained recognition for his intricate woodcut illustrations depicting religious scenes and biblical narratives. His works were highly regarded and are still studied by art historians today.
Another notable figure with the name Kindel was Kindel Vogt, a German philosopher and theologian who lived in the 17th century. He made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy, with a particular focus on the virtues of compassion and kindness.
In the 19th century, Kindel Müller, a German educator and pioneer in early childhood education, left a lasting impact on the field of pedagogy. Her innovative teaching methods and emphasis on nurturing the whole child through play and exploration were groundbreaking for her time.
While the name Kindel has been predominantly used in German-speaking regions, its usage has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and cultural exchange. However, it remains a relatively rare name, with its roots firmly grounded in the rich history and traditions of the German language and culture.
People
Kindel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kindel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kindel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kindel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 68 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kindel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,040,505 US residents.
Is Kindel a common name?
We classify Kindel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 71 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kindel most popular?
The single biggest year for Kindel was 1985, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kindel is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kindel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 270 people with the name Kindel, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,633 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kindel in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kindel?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kindel on both sides of the split. Of the 266 people counted with this name, 71 were male (26.7%) and 195 were female (73.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kindel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kindel is White at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (6.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kindel most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kindel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.3% (187 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kindel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kindel a female name?
Yes, 93.0% of people registered as Kindel in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kindel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kindel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kindel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Kindel?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Kindel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.