2000
#11,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,608
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Kalb
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "kalp," meaning calf or bull.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,895 Americans carry the last name Kalb. That puts it at #11,850 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kalb 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
2.9K
1 in 118,395
Census rank
#11,850
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,525 bearers of the surname Kalb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11850th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalb, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kalb
The surname KALB is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "kalb," which means "calf" or "young cow." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked with calves or cattle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KALB can be found in the Bairische Stammtafeln, a genealogical record from the 14th century, which mentions a person named Chunrad Kalb. In the 15th century, there are records of a Wilhelm Kalb from the town of Ingolstadt in Bavaria.
The KALB surname is also closely associated with the town of Kalb, now known as Gau-Algesheim, in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. This town's name is thought to have derived from the same root word as the surname, further cementing its connection to cattle or calves.
Notable individuals with the surname KALB throughout history include:
1. Johann Kalb (1721-1780), a German-born soldier who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
2. Johann von Kalb (1642-1705), a Bavarian nobleman and architect who designed several churches and monasteries in the Baroque style.
3. Ulrich Kalb (c. 1490-1551), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer who was a supporter of Martin Luther.
4. Markus Kalb (c. 1525-1590), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits.
5. Johann Baptist Kalb (1691-1761), a German Catholic priest and theologian who wrote extensively on moral philosophy and ethics.
While the KALB surname is predominantly found in Germany and other German-speaking regions, it has also spread to various parts of the world through immigration, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalb
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalb, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kalb 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 Kalb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,287
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 106
- Two or more races3.3% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 30
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kalb
Kalb 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
#11,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,853
+245 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 42 places
2020
#11,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
-328 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,158 | 2,608 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,116 | 2,853 | 0.97 | +245 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 42 places |
| 2020 | #11,850 | 2,525 | 0.84 | -328 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 734 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 Kalb 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 | #11,116 | #11,850 | -6.6% |
| Count | 2,853 | 2,525 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.84 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kalb bearers went from 2,853 to 2,525 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 734 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,116 to #11,850.
FAQ
Kalb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kalb?
Name Census estimates that about 2,895 living Americans carry the surname Kalb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,395 residents.
How common is Kalb?
Kalb ranks #11,850 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,525 people with the surname Kalb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,895), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Kalb.
Has Kalb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kalb went from 2,853 recorded bearers to 2,525. That is a decrease of 328 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,116 to #11,850.
What does the Census say about the background of Kalb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalb, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Kalb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kalb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Kalb (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 Kalb mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "kalp," meaning calf or bull. 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 Kalb (0.84 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 Americans have the surname Kalb?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.