2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kangiser
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a steep, rocky slope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Kangiser. 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 Kangiser 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 Kangiser 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 Kangiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kangiser
The surname Kangiser is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Kanger," which means "a person from the village of Kangen." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify individuals who hailed from a specific locality within Bavaria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kangiser can be found in the parish records of the town of Amberg, Bavaria, from the year 1587. This entry documents the birth of a child named Hans Kangiser, son of Joachim Kangiser, a farmer from the nearby village of Kangen.
In the 17th century, the name Kangiser appeared in several historical documents related to the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). These records mention a soldier named Matthias Kangiser, who served in the Imperial Army and participated in the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.
During the 18th century, the Kangiser family seemed to have spread across various regions of Germany. One notable individual from this period was Johann Kangiser (1712-1786), a renowned clockmaker from the city of Augsburg, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and aristocracy of the time.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, some members of the Kangiser family migrated to urban centers in search of employment opportunities. One such individual was Karl Kangiser (1825-1897), who worked as a skilled metalworker in the city of Munich and was instrumental in the construction of several iconic landmarks, including the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall).
In the early 20th century, the name Kangiser gained recognition in the field of academia. Notably, Professor Wilhelm Kangiser (1877-1954) was a renowned linguist and philologist at the University of Heidelberg, renowned for his groundbreaking research on Germanic languages and their historical development.
While the Kangiser surname has its roots in Bavaria, over the centuries, it has spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the small village of Kangen, where the name was first adopted as a means of identification for its inhabitants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kangiser
Among Census respondents with the surname Kangiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kangiser 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 Kangiser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kangiser
Kangiser 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+10 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 66 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-16 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,617 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 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 66 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 15,617 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 Kangiser 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 | #133,048 | #148,665 | -11.7% |
| Count | 127 | 111 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kangiser bearers went from 127 to 111 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 15,617 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #148,665.
FAQ
Kangiser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kangiser?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Kangiser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Kangiser?
Kangiser 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 Kangiser. 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 Kangiser.
Has Kangiser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kangiser went from 127 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Kangiser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kangiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Kangiser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kangiser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Hispanic (7.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Kangiser (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 Kangiser mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a steep, rocky slope. 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 Kangiser (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 Americans have the surname Kangiser?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.