2000
#11,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,605
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Kaelin
Derived from a German personal name, a diminutive of Konrad, meaning "bold counsel" or "wise advisor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,834 Americans carry the last name Kaelin. That puts it at #12,052 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,944 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaelin 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
2.8K
1 in 120,944
Census rank
#12,052
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,471 bearers of the surname Kaelin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12052nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaelin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaelin
The surname Kaelin has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kale," which means "bald" or "hairless." This suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for a person who had little or no hair.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kaelin can be found in various German-speaking regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and parts of modern-day Switzerland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Kaelin, a merchant from the town of Nuremberg, who was mentioned in a local registry in 1487.
In the 16th century, the name Kaelin appeared in several historical records, including the Württemberg tax rolls of 1523, where a certain Peter Kaelin was listed as a landowner. Another notable mention is found in the Zurich court records of 1589, which referenced a legal dispute involving a Jakob Kaelin.
As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, it evolved into various spellings, such as Kählin, Kählen, and Kaehlen. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciation differences.
One of the earliest known Kaelins to achieve historical prominence was Johann Kaelin, a Swiss Protestant reformer born in 1497 in the city of Bern. He played a significant role in the Swiss Reformation and was a close associate of Huldrych Zwingli, a leading figure of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland.
Another notable figure was Johann Jakob Kaelin, a Swiss-born painter and engraver who lived from 1637 to 1706. He is known for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Switzerland and Germany.
In the 19th century, the name Kaelin gained recognition with the birth of Gottfried Kaelin (1818-1883), a Swiss theologian and author. He was a prominent figure in the Swiss Reformed Church and wrote several influential works on theology and church history.
As the Kaelin family spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, the name continued to be associated with individuals of note. One such person was Wilhelm Kaelin (1865-1923), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It is important to note that while this surname has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since been adopted and carried on by families in various parts of the world, reflecting the global reach and diversity of the Kaelin name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaelin
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaelin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaelin 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 Kaelin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,294
- Two or more races3.0% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaelin
Kaelin 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
#12,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,590
-15 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 874 places
2020
#12,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,471
-119 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,169 | 2,605 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,043 | 2,590 | 0.88 | -15 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 874 places |
| 2020 | #12,052 | 2,471 | 0.83 | -119 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 9 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 Kaelin 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 | #12,043 | #12,052 | -0.1% |
| Count | 2,590 | 2,471 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.83 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaelin bearers went from 2,590 to 2,471 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,043 to #12,052.
FAQ
Kaelin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaelin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,834 living Americans carry the surname Kaelin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,944 residents.
How common is Kaelin?
Kaelin ranks #12,052 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,471 people with the surname Kaelin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,834), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kaelin.
Has Kaelin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaelin went from 2,590 recorded bearers to 2,471. That is a decrease of 119 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,043 to #12,052.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaelin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaelin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kaelin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaelin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kaelin (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 Kaelin mean?
Derived from a German personal name, a diminutive of Konrad, meaning "bold counsel" or "wise advisor." 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 Kaelin (0.83 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 share the surname Kaelin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.