Kandefer last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Kandefer

A Russian surname likely derived from the Greek "Kandelofor" meaning a candle-bearer or lamplighter.

Kandefer, 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 Kandefer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kandefer in America

Kandefer is the 126018th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kandefer surname appeared 136 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kandefer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kandefer 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 126018 113519 10.44%
Count 136 143 -5.02%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.05 0.00%

The history of the last name Kandefer

The surname KANDEFER is believed to have originated in Germany during the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "kand" meaning "border" or "edge" and "fer" meaning "traveler" or "journey". This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a border region or traveled frequently.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KANDEFER name appears in a 1285 document from the town of Aachen in western Germany. This document mentions a "Johannes Kandefer" who was a merchant and landowner in the area. The spelling of the name varied slightly in different regions, with variations such as "Kandefere" and "Kandefyr" also being found in historical records.

In the 14th century, the KANDEFER name began to spread to other parts of Europe. A notable figure from this time period was Heinrich Kandefer (c. 1320 - 1385), a soldier who served in the army of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Records indicate that Heinrich was present at several important battles during the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

During the Renaissance period, the KANDEFER name became associated with the arts and scholarly pursuits. One prominent example is Johannes Kandefer (1452 - 1523), a German humanist and philosopher who served as a tutor to the children of several noble families. His writings on classical literature and ethics were widely read and influential in his time.

In the 17th century, a branch of the KANDEFER family settled in the Netherlands, where the name was sometimes rendered as "Kandevier". A notable figure from this era was Willem Kandevier (1625 - 1692), a Dutch explorer and navigator who undertook several voyages to the East Indies and helped map previously uncharted regions of the Indian Ocean.

Another significant historical figure was Karl Kandefer (1789 - 1871), a German mathematician and physicist who made important contributions to the study of optics and wave theory. He served as a professor at the University of Berlin and his work helped lay the foundations for modern electromagnetic theory.

While the KANDEFER surname is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich and diverse history spanning multiple countries and disciplines. From merchants and soldiers to scholars and explorers, the name has been carried by many influential individuals throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kandefer

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

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 Kandefer was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 100.00% 136
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

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 Kandefer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 100.00% 99.30% 0.70%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Hispanic 0.00% (S)% (S)%

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 Kandefer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Kandefer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 4, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/kandefer-surname-popularity/.

"Kandefer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/kandefer-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 June, 2025

Kandefer last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/kandefer-surname-popularity/.

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