2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kallfelz
A locational surname indicating someone from a place called Kallenfeld.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Kallfelz. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kallfelz 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Kallfelz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kallfelz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kallfelz
The surname KALLFELZ is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, specifically in the area that is now modern-day Germany. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name KALLFELZ is thought to be derived from a combination of two German words: "kahl," meaning "bald" or "bare," and "Felz" or "Fels," which translates to "rock" or "cliff." This suggests that the surname may have originally referred to a geographical feature, such as a bare or rocky hill or outcrop, which could have been the location where the earliest bearers of the name lived or worked.
While no specific historical references to the name KALLFELZ have been found in ancient manuscripts or records like the Domesday Book, it is likely that the name emerged during the Middle Ages as a descriptive surname, a common practice at the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KALLFELZ surname dates back to the late 15th century, when a certain Hans Kallfelz was mentioned in a church register in the town of Nürnberg, Bavaria, in 1478. Another early reference can be found in the town records of Weiden in der Oberpfalz, also in Bavaria, where a Jakob Kallfelz is mentioned in 1521.
Notable individuals with the surname KALLFELZ throughout history include:
1. Johann Kallfelz (1548-1612), a German Protestant theologian and writer from Nürnberg.
2. Konrad Kallfelz (1610-1679), a German composer and organist from Bayreuth, known for his sacred choral works.
3. Maria Kallfelz (1712-1790), a German painter from Munich, known for her still-life and religious works.
4. Friedrich Kallfelz (1788-1849), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and Brandenburg.
5. Karl Kallfelz (1867-1934), a German explorer and naturalist who participated in expeditions to Central Africa and South America.
While the surname KALLFELZ may have originated from a place name or geographic feature, it has since become more widely distributed throughout German-speaking regions and beyond, though it remains relatively uncommon overall.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kallfelz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kallfelz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kallfelz 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 Kallfelz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kallfelz
Kallfelz 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,114 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,114 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,267 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 Kallfelz 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 | #139,228 | #146,495 | -5.2% |
| Count | 120 | 114 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kallfelz bearers went from 120 to 114 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,267 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #146,495.
FAQ
Kallfelz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kallfelz?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Kallfelz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Kallfelz?
Kallfelz ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Kallfelz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Kallfelz.
Has Kallfelz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kallfelz went from 120 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Kallfelz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kallfelz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Kallfelz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kallfelz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Kallfelz (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 Kallfelz mean?
A locational surname indicating someone from a place called Kallenfeld. 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 Kallfelz (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 are called Kallfelz?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kallfelz? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.