2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kalbus
A surname derived from the East Prussian place name "Kalbus".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Kalbus. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kalbus 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Kalbus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalbus, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kalbus
The surname KALBUS is of German origin, first appearing in records from the 16th century. It likely derives from the Old High German word "kalb" meaning "calf" or "young cow." This suggests the name may have originated as a nickname or occupational name for someone who worked with calves or cattle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KALBUS name comes from a 1587 tax record in the town of Wittenberg, where a Johann Kalbus is listed as a landowner. In 1624, a Hans Kalbus is recorded as a resident of the village of Böblingen near Stuttgart.
The KALBUS name appears to have been concentrated in southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. There are references to KALBUS families in various village records and church registers from the 17th and 18th centuries in these areas.
A notable early bearer of the KALBUS name was Matthias Kalbus (1628-1690), a Lutheran theologian and author from Nuremberg. His work "Systema Locorum Theologicorum" was a widely-read theological treatise in its time.
In the 19th century, a Johann Kalbus (1821-1894) from Württemberg gained some renown as a pioneering architect and builder of educational institutions in Germany.
Another famous KALBUS was the German author and poet Theodor Kalbus (1853-1925), whose works often explored themes of nature and rural life. His collection "Aus dem Schwarzwald" (From the Black Forest) was particularly well-received.
As the KALBUS name spread, variants such as Kalb, Kalbe, and Kalbfuss emerged, reflecting the original meaning of the name. Some of these variants can be found in historical records from Austria, Switzerland, and other German-speaking regions.
It's worth noting that while the KALBUS surname is still present today, its geographic distribution has become more widespread due to migration and mobility in modern times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalbus
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalbus, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kalbus 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 Kalbus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kalbus
Kalbus 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-6 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,718 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-10 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 12,718 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 11,222 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 Kalbus 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 | #133,048 | #144,270 | -8.4% |
| Count | 127 | 117 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kalbus bearers went from 127 to 117 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 11,222 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #144,270.
FAQ
Kalbus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kalbus?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Kalbus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Kalbus?
Kalbus ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Kalbus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Kalbus.
Has Kalbus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kalbus went from 127 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kalbus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalbus, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Kalbus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kalbus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Kalbus (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 Kalbus mean?
A surname derived from the East Prussian place name "Kalbus". 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 Kalbus (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 Kalbus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.