2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Karnehm
A locational surname derived from a place called Karnehm or Karnham.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Karnehm. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karnehm 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Karnehm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karnehm, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karnehm
The surname Karnehm is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the 16th century in the region of Bavaria. The name is believed to have derived from an Old German word "karnehm," which means "to take delight in" or "to enjoy." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was known for their joyful or cheerful disposition.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Karnehm can be found in the town of Augsburg, where a certain Hans Karnehm was listed as a merchant in the city's records in 1548. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Karnehm began to appear in various other parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Hesse. In 1632, a Johann Karnehm was recorded as a landowner in the village of Hersfeld, located in present-day Hesse.
During the 18th century, the Karnehm family gained some prominence in the city of Leipzig, where a Johann Friedrich Karnehm (1708-1784) was a respected scholar and professor of philosophy at the University of Leipzig. He published several influential works on philosophy and logic during his lifetime.
Another notable figure bearing the Karnehm name was Karl Karnehm (1829-1902), a German artist and painter who was known for his landscapes and portraits. He was born in Dresden and studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts before gaining recognition for his works throughout Germany and beyond.
In the 19th century, the Karnehm family also had a presence in the United States, where they likely immigrated from Germany. One example is Johann Karnehm (1845-1923), who was born in Bavaria and later settled in Pennsylvania, working as a blacksmith and raising a family in the small town of Kutztown.
While the surname Karnehm is not among the most common in Germany or elsewhere, it has a long and documented history, with roots stretching back to the 16th century in Bavaria. Despite its relatively obscure origins, the name has been carried by several noteworthy individuals throughout the centuries, reflecting its enduring presence in German culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karnehm
Among Census respondents with the surname Karnehm, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Karnehm 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 Karnehm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 102
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karnehm
Karnehm 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,087 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,788 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 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13,087 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 6,788 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 Karnehm 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 | #146,201 | #152,989 | -4.6% |
| Count | 113 | 105 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karnehm bearers went from 113 to 105 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 6,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #152,989.
FAQ
Karnehm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karnehm?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Karnehm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Karnehm?
Karnehm ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Karnehm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Karnehm.
Has Karnehm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karnehm went from 113 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Karnehm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karnehm, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Karnehm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karnehm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Karnehm (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 Karnehm mean?
A locational surname derived from a place called Karnehm or Karnham. 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 Karnehm (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 Karnehm?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.