2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kaltwasser
A German surname meaning "cold water" or "chilly water".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Kaltwasser. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaltwasser 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Kaltwasser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaltwasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaltwasser
The surname Kaltwasser has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the late 16th century. The name is derived from the German words "kalt" meaning "cold" and "wasser" meaning "water," suggesting a connection to a geographical feature such as a cold stream or river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Meiningen, in present-day Thuringia, dating back to 1587. The name was also documented in the parish registers of Saxony and Brandenburg during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various historical documents across Central Europe. For example, Johann Kaltwasser (1732-1809), a German theologian and professor at the University of Jena, authored several works on biblical exegesis and church history.
The 19th century saw the emergence of notable individuals bearing the Kaltwasser name. One such figure was Karl Kaltwasser (1803-1867), a German architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the Alte Nationalgalerie.
During the same period, Wilhelm Kaltwasser (1815-1884) became a renowned German composer and music teacher, renowned for his contributions to choral music and his work as the director of the Leipzig Singakademie.
As the 20th century dawned, the Kaltwasser name continued to make its mark. Hans Kaltwasser (1901-1975), a German artist and illustrator, gained recognition for his illustrations in children's books and his satirical cartoons critiquing the political climate of his time.
Another noteworthy individual was Gerta Kaltwasser (1920-2002), a German sprinter and hurdler who won multiple medals at the European Athletics Championships in the 1940s and 1950s, and represented Germany at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.
While the Kaltwasser name has its roots in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora over the centuries, carrying with it the legacy of its linguistic and cultural origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaltwasser
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaltwasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaltwasser 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 Kaltwasser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 101
- Two or more races6.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaltwasser
Kaltwasser 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,103 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 7,103 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,525 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 Kaltwasser 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 | #141,140 | #148,665 | -5.3% |
| Count | 118 | 111 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaltwasser bearers went from 118 to 111 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #148,665.
FAQ
Kaltwasser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaltwasser?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Kaltwasser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Kaltwasser?
Kaltwasser ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Kaltwasser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Kaltwasser.
Has Kaltwasser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaltwasser went from 118 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaltwasser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaltwasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kaltwasser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaltwasser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (6.3%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kaltwasser (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 Kaltwasser mean?
A German surname meaning "cold water" or "chilly water". 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 Kaltwasser (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 Kaltwasser?
See how many people have the last name Kaltwasser on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.