2000
#47,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 420
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Kabler
A German-derived surname likely meaning "maker of cables" or "rope maker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 485 Americans carry the last name Kabler. That puts it at #52,889 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 706,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kabler surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
485
1 in 706,710
Census rank
#52,889
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
423
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 423 bearers of the surname Kabler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52889th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kabler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kabler
The surname Kabler has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Kabel," which means "cable" or "rope," suggesting that the name was likely given to someone who worked with ropes or cables, such as a rope maker or a shipbuilder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kabler can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to the 15th century. The name was also present in other regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony, where variations such as "Kaebler" and "Kebler" were common.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Kabler (c. 1500-1570) was a prominent merchant and trader in the city of Augsburg. His successful business dealings and involvement in local politics contributed to the recognition of the Kabler name in the region.
Another historical reference to the name Kabler can be found in the records of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), where a soldier named Johann Kabler (c. 1590-1650) served in the Swedish army. His bravery and leadership during the conflict earned him recognition and helped to further establish the name in German history.
In the late 17th century, a family of Kablers immigrated to America, settling in the Pennsylvania Dutch region. One of their descendants, Jacob Kabler (1745-1823), became a respected farmer and landowner in Lancaster County, contributing to the spread of the name in the New World.
As the centuries passed, the Kabler name continued to appear in various parts of Europe and the Americas. Notable individuals include the German composer and organist Johann Friedrich Kabler (1795-1865), who was renowned for his sacred music compositions, and the American inventor and businessman William Kabler (1829-1901), who held several patents for his innovations in the field of textiles.
While these examples provide a glimpse into the historical significance of the surname Kabler, it is important to note that the name has been carried by many other individuals throughout the ages, each contributing to the rich tapestry of its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kabler
Among Census respondents with the surname Kabler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kabler bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kabler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 396
- Two or more races4.0% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 7
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kabler
Kabler appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#48,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 436
+16 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 951 places
2020
#52,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 423
-13 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 4,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,485 | 420 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,436 | 436 | 0.15 | +16 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 951 places |
| 2020 | #52,889 | 423 | 0.14 | -13 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 4,453 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kabler surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #48,436 | #52,889 | -9.2% |
| Count | 436 | 423 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kabler bearers went from 436 to 423 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 4,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,436 to #52,889.
FAQ
Kabler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kabler?
Name Census estimates that about 485 living Americans carry the surname Kabler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 706,710 residents.
How common is Kabler?
Kabler ranks #52,889 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 423 people with the surname Kabler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kabler.
Has Kabler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kabler went from 436 recorded bearers to 423. That is a decrease of 13 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #48,436 to #52,889.
What does the Census say about the background of Kabler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kabler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kabler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (396 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kabler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kabler (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kabler mean?
A German-derived surname likely meaning "maker of cables" or "rope maker". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kabler (0.14 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Kabler?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Kabler at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.