2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kahlhamer
A locational surname from a place called Kahl, likely referring to someone from that region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Kahlhamer. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kahlhamer 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Kahlhamer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahlhamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kahlhamer
The surname Kahlhamer is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the state of Bavaria. The name is thought to be derived from the German words "kahl" meaning "bald" and "hammer" meaning "hammer". This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to a blacksmith or metalworker who was bald or had a distinct physical trait.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kahlhamer surname can be found in the municipal archives of the town of Augsburg, where a certain Hans Kahlhamer is mentioned in a document dated 1567. Another early reference is in the parish records of the village of Oberammergau, which contain an entry for the marriage of Jakob Kahlhamer in 1592.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kahlhamer name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, as well as to neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. In the late 1700s, a Kahlhamer family is documented as having settled in the Austrian town of Innsbruck, where they established a successful metalworking business.
One notable bearer of the Kahlhamer name was Johann Kahlhamer (1732-1809), a renowned German clockmaker from the city of Nuremberg. His intricate and ornate clocks were highly sought after by wealthy patrons throughout Europe during his lifetime. Another prominent Kahlhamer was Friedrich Kahlhamer (1805-1879), a German botanist and professor at the University of Munich, who made significant contributions to the study of alpine flora.
Other historical figures with the Kahlhamer surname include Matthias Kahlhamer (1867-1942), a German architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Bavarian region, and Helene Kahlhamer (1889-1972), a Austrian-born opera singer who performed in major opera houses across Europe in the early 20th century.
The Kahlhamer name can also be found in historical records from the United States, where German immigrants bearing this surname settled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable American Kahlhamer was Otto Kahlhamer (1879-1957), a successful businessman and philanthropist in the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kahlhamer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahlhamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kahlhamer 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 Kahlhamer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kahlhamer
Kahlhamer 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,548 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 810 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,548 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 810 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 Kahlhamer 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 | #149,395 | #150,205 | -0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 109 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kahlhamer bearers went from 110 to 109 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 810 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,205.
FAQ
Kahlhamer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kahlhamer?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Kahlhamer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Kahlhamer?
Kahlhamer ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Kahlhamer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Kahlhamer.
Has Kahlhamer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kahlhamer went from 110 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Kahlhamer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kahlhamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%). 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 Kahlhamer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kahlhamer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%). 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 Kahlhamer (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 Kahlhamer mean?
A locational surname from a place called Kahl, likely referring to someone from that region. 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 Kahlhamer (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 last name Kahlhamer?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Kahlhamer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.