2000
#14,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,912
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Kaser
A German surname meaning "maker of cheese" or "cheesemaker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,047 Americans carry the last name Kaser. That puts it at #15,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaser 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
2.0K
1 in 167,442
Census rank
#15,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,785 bearers of the surname Kaser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaser
The surname Kaser originated in the Bavarian region of southern Germany during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Kaser," which means "cheesemaker" or "cheese monger." This occupational name suggests that the original bearer of the surname was likely involved in the production or sale of cheese.
The earliest known record of the name Kaser dates back to the 14th century, appearing in a manuscript from the town of Oberammergau in Bavaria. In this document, a man named Hans Kaser was listed as a resident and cheesemaker in the village.
Over the centuries, the name Kaser spread throughout various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Swabia, and the Rhineland. It also made its way into neighboring countries, such as Austria and Switzerland, where it was sometimes spelled as "Käser" or "Kaeser."
One notable bearer of the Kaser name was Johann Kaser, a German artist and painter who lived from 1536 to 1592. He is best known for his religious paintings and frescoes that adorned churches in the Bavarian region.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Kaser, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1856 to 1923. He made significant contributions to the field of Roman law and served as a professor at the University of Berlin.
In the 19th century, the Kaser family established a successful dairy business in the town of Murnau, Bavaria. The family's cheese-making tradition spanned several generations and became renowned throughout the region.
Johann Kaser (1768-1846), a farmer and cheesemaker from the village of Mittenwald, was known for his innovative techniques in cheese production. His methods were widely adopted by other cheesemakers in the area.
Another notable figure was Maximilian Kaser (1800-1876), a Bavarian politician and member of the German Reichstag (parliament) during the late 19th century. He played a significant role in shaping agricultural policies and advocating for the interests of farmers and cheesemakers in his region.
While the surname Kaser is most commonly found in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, it has also been carried by individuals who emigrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaser
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaser 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 Kaser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,648
- Two or more races3.4% · 60
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 20
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaser
Kaser 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
#16,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,696
-216 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 2,476 places
2020
#15,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,785
+89 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 1,090 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,357 | 1,912 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,833 | 1,696 | 0.57 | -216 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 2,476 places |
| 2020 | #15,743 | 1,785 | 0.60 | +89 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 1,090 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 Kaser 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 | #16,833 | #15,743 | 6.5% |
| Count | 1,696 | 1,785 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.60 | 4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaser bearers went from 1,696 to 1,785 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 1,090 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,833 to #15,743.
FAQ
Kaser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaser?
Name Census estimates that about 2,047 living Americans carry the surname Kaser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,442 residents.
How common is Kaser?
Kaser ranks #15,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,785 people with the surname Kaser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,047), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Kaser.
Has Kaser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaser went from 1,696 recorded bearers to 1,785. That is an increase of 89 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,833 to #15,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Kaser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,648 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Kaser (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 Kaser mean?
A German surname meaning "maker of cheese" or "cheesemaker". 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 Kaser (0.60 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 share the surname Kaser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.