2000
#13,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Kamm
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of combs and hackles for preparing flax.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,519 Americans carry the last name Kamm. That puts it at #13,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,068 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kamm 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
2.5K
1 in 136,068
Census rank
#13,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,197 bearers of the surname Kamm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kamm
The surname Kamm is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It likely derived from the Old High German word "kamb," which meant "comb" or "ridge," referring to a person who lived near a ridge or hilltop.
The earliest recorded mention of the Kamm name dates back to the 13th century in the regions of Saxony and Franconia in present-day Germany. It was often associated with places like Kammberg, Kammersbach, and Kammersdorf, suggesting the name's connection to these locations.
In the 14th century, the Kamm surname appeared in various medieval records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the former Brandenburg region. This indicates the presence of individuals bearing this name during that period.
One notable figure with the Kamm surname was Johann Kamm (c. 1520-1589), a German theologian and Reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and served as a pastor in several churches in Saxony.
Another prominent individual was Sebastian Kamm (1590-1653), a German composer and organist. He was born in Nürnberg and is known for his contributions to sacred music during the Baroque era.
In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Kamm (1722-1792) was a respected German jurist and legal scholar. He served as a professor of law at the University of Göttingen and authored several influential works on jurisprudence.
The name Kamm also appeared in various regions of Switzerland, particularly in the canton of Basel, where it was often associated with the textile industry. One notable Swiss bearer of this surname was Johann Rudolf Kamm (1828-1897), a successful entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Kamm Spinning Mills.
Another figure of note was Karl Kamm (1843-1918), a German-American author and journalist. He immigrated to the United States in the 19th century and became a prominent writer and editor for German-language newspapers in New York City.
Throughout its history, the Kamm surname has been spelled in various ways, including Kamme, Kammerer, and Kammer, reflecting regional variations and influences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its connection to geographical features and locations in Germanic regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kamm
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kamm 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 Kamm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,006
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 70
- Two or more races3.0% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kamm
Kamm 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
#13,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,202
+41 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 736 places
2020
#13,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,197
-5 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,005 | 2,161 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,741 | 2,202 | 0.75 | +41 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 736 places |
| 2020 | #13,296 | 2,197 | 0.74 | -5 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 445 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 Kamm 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 | #13,741 | #13,296 | 3.2% |
| Count | 2,202 | 2,197 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.74 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kamm bearers went from 2,202 to 2,197 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 445 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,741 to #13,296.
FAQ
Kamm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kamm?
Name Census estimates that about 2,519 living Americans carry the surname Kamm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,068 residents.
How common is Kamm?
Kamm ranks #13,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,197 people with the surname Kamm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,519), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Kamm.
Has Kamm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kamm went from 2,202 recorded bearers to 2,197. That is a decrease of 5 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,741 to #13,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Kamm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Kamm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,006 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kamm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Kamm (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 Kamm mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of combs and hackles for preparing flax. 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 Kamm (0.74 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 Kamm?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.