2000
#977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,567
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.07
Uncommon Last name
Kaiser
A German occupational surname referring to the Holy Roman Emperor or a person who worked for him.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,023 Americans carry the last name Kaiser. That puts it at #1,068 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,258 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaiser 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kaiser with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,258
Census rank
#1,068
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,286 bearers of the surname Kaiser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1068th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaiser
The surname KAISER originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Kaiser," which means "emperor" or "Caesar." The name likely emerged as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who held a position of authority or power, or perhaps someone who worked for an emperor or in the imperial court.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KAISER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the former Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. The name also appears in various medieval records and manuscripts from regions such as Bavaria, Swabia, and the Rhineland.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Hans KAISER (c. 1310-1380) was a German goldsmith and burgher from the city of Nuremberg. He was renowned for his intricate metalwork and served as a master craftsman for the Imperial Court.
Another notable individual with the surname KAISER was Johann KAISER (1642-1716), a German jurist and legal scholar. He authored several influential works on Roman law and served as a professor at the University of Ingolstadt.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the KAISER surname was also associated with various place names in German-speaking regions. For example, the town of Kaiserstuhl in southwestern Germany, which translates to "Emperor's Chair," likely derived its name from the presence of individuals with the surname KAISER in the area.
In the 19th century, Friedrich KAISER (1808-1888) was a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction and modernization of Berlin after the Prussian Wars of Unification.
Another noteworthy figure was Georg KAISER (1878-1945), a prominent German dramatist and playwright known for his expressionist works, including the play "From Morn to Midnight" (1912).
Throughout its history, the surname KAISER has been associated with various professions, from craftsmen and scholars to artists and public figures, all reflecting the influence and prominence of individuals bearing this name in German-speaking regions and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaiser
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaiser 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 Kaiser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 29,091
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,065
- Two or more races3.2% · 1,039
- Black or African American1.6% · 508
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 443
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 140
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaiser
Kaiser 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
#1,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,480
+913 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 11.35
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,286
-1,194 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 10.80
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #977 | 32,567 | 12.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,039 | 33,480 | 11.35 | +913 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,068 | 32,286 | 10.80 | -1,194 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 29 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 Kaiser 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 | #1,039 | #1,068 | -2.8% |
| Count | 33,480 | 32,286 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 11.35 | 10.80 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaiser bearers went from 33,480 to 32,286 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,039 to #1,068.
FAQ
Kaiser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaiser?
Name Census estimates that about 37,023 living Americans carry the surname Kaiser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,258 residents.
How common is Kaiser?
Kaiser ranks #1,068 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,286 people with the surname Kaiser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,023), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Kaiser.
Has Kaiser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaiser went from 33,480 recorded bearers to 32,286. That is a decrease of 1,194 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,039 to #1,068.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaiser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Kaiser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (29,091 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaiser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Kaiser (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 Kaiser mean?
A German occupational surname referring to the Holy Roman Emperor or a person who worked for him. 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 Kaiser (10.80 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 Kaiser?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Kaiser at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.