2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kahles
An occupational surname possibly referring to a maker of firearms or other artillery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Kahles. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kahles 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Kahles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahles, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kahles
The surname Kahles originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the German word "kahl," meaning "bald" or "hairless." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was bald or had very little hair.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kahles can be traced back to various German regions, particularly in the southern and central parts of the country. Some of the earliest documented bearers of this surname include Johannes Kahles, born in 1612 in Saxony, and Heinrich Kahles, born in 1638 in Bavaria.
Historically, the name Kahles has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Christoph Kahles, a German theologian and writer who lived from 1599 to 1668. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran church and authored several religious works during his lifetime.
Another notable bearer of the Kahles surname was Johann Gottfried Kahles, a German composer and organist who lived from 1723 to 1793. He was known for his contributions to church music and composed numerous pieces for organ and choral ensembles.
In the 19th century, Carl Kahles, born in 1820 in Saxony, was a prominent German politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and was actively involved in the political and legal affairs of his time.
Moving into the 20th century, Wilhelm Kahles, born in 1892 in Bavaria, was a German artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings. His works were widely exhibited and appreciated during his lifetime, and he is considered an important figure in the German art scene of the early 20th century.
Another notable individual with the Kahles surname was Hans Kahles, a German military officer who served during World War II. Born in 1906 in Saxony, he rose to the rank of General and played a significant role in various military campaigns during the war.
While the surname Kahles has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, the historical records and notable figures mentioned above provide insights into the origins and significance of this surname within the German cultural and historical context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kahles
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahles, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kahles 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 Kahles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kahles
Kahles 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-15 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,050 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,881 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 21,050 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,881 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 Kahles 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 | #142,108 | #152,989 | -7.7% |
| Count | 117 | 105 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kahles bearers went from 117 to 105 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,881 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #152,989.
FAQ
Kahles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kahles?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Kahles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Kahles?
Kahles ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Kahles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kahles.
Has Kahles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kahles went from 117 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Kahles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahles, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kahles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kahles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kahles (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 Kahles mean?
An occupational surname possibly referring to a maker of firearms or other artillery. 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 Kahles (0.04 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 surname Kahles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.