Find out how popular the last name Kammer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kammer.

Kammer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kammer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kammer in America

Kammer is the 11818th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kammer surname appeared 2,648 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kammer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kammer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kammer

The surname "Kammer" is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "kamera," meaning "chamber" or "room." It is believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century, and was likely an occupational name for someone who worked in or was responsible for a chamber, perhaps in a castle, monastery, or other important building.

The surname is found in several historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Saxony, which mentions a "Heinrich Kammer" in 1295. It is also recorded in the Biberacher Chronik, a chronicle of the town of Biberach in southern Germany, where a "Cuntz Kammer" is mentioned in 1487.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is in the Nuremberg Kirchenbücher (church records), which lists the birth of a child named Hans Kammer in 1501. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johann Kammer, a Protestant reformer and theologian from Swabia, who lived from 1525 to 1594.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Kammer was also found in various parts of Switzerland, including the cantons of Zurich, Bern, and Basel. One notable Swiss bearer of the name was Hans Rudolf Kammer, a painter and engraver from Zurich who lived from 1585 to 1643.

Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the surname Kammer achieved prominence in various fields. For example, Johann Friedrich Kammer (1765-1838) was a German writer and educator, while Johann Kammer (1786-1859) was a German poet and playwright. In the field of music, Franz Kammer (1858-1942) was an Austrian composer and conductor.

Another notable bearer of the surname was the German politician and statesman Hubert Kammer (1891-1966), who served as the Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1947 to 1952. Additionally, Hans Kammer (1904-1973) was a German actor and film director who appeared in several notable films during the 1930s and 1940s.

While the surname Kammer is most prevalent in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, it has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in German-speaking regions, where it likely originated as an occupational name for someone responsible for a chamber or room in a significant building.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kammer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kammer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kammer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kammer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kammer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kammer, please contact us.

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