2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kauderer
A German surname likely derived from an occupational name referring to a barrel maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Kauderer. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kauderer 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Kauderer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauderer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kauderer
The surname Kauderer is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Saxony and Bavaria, where it was initially spelled as "Kaudrer" or "Kauderer". The name is derived from the German word "Kauder", which means "to mumble" or "to chatter". This suggests that the name may have been given as a nickname to someone who was a talkative or chatty individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kauderer surname can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dating back to 1597, where a certain Hans Kauderer was listed as a resident. In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and tax rolls across southern Germany, particularly in the areas around Augsburg and Munich.
During the 18th century, the Kauderer family gained prominence in the region of Franconia, with several members holding positions of importance in local government and commerce. Notable individuals from this era include Johann Kauderer (1702-1776), a respected merchant and councilman in the city of Bamberg, and his son, Georg Kauderer (1738-1812), who served as the mayor of the same city for over a decade.
In the 19th century, as German immigrants began to settle in various parts of the world, the Kauderer name spread to other countries. One notable figure from this period was Wilhelm Kauderer (1842-1916), a German-born engineer who immigrated to the United States and played a significant role in the construction of several railroads and bridges in the American West.
Another prominent individual with the Kauderer surname was Max Kauderer (1870-1943), a German-Jewish lawyer and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the field of international law. He served as a professor at various universities and authored several influential works on legal theory and practice.
Towards the latter half of the 20th century, the Kauderer name continued to be carried by individuals across various fields, including Hans Kauderer (1913-1992), a renowned German-American musician and composer, and Gertrude Kauderer (1916-2003), an Austrian-born artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her abstract works.
While the Kauderer surname may not be among the most common in the world today, its history and origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, where it was once a prominent name associated with various professions and achievements over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kauderer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauderer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kauderer 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 Kauderer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 101
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kauderer
Kauderer 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+18 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 5,364 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-28 bearers (-19.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,762 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +18 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 5,364 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-19.3%) | Down 24,762 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 Kauderer 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 | #119,508 | #144,270 | -20.7% |
| Count | 145 | 117 | -19.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kauderer bearers went from 145 to 117 (-19.3% change). The surname moved down 24,762 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #144,270.
FAQ
Kauderer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kauderer?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Kauderer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Kauderer?
Kauderer ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Kauderer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Kauderer.
Has Kauderer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kauderer went from 145 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 28 (-19.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #119,508 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kauderer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauderer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (6.0%). 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 Kauderer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kauderer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Hispanic (6.0%). 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 Kauderer (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 Kauderer mean?
A German surname likely derived from an occupational name referring to a barrel maker. 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 Kauderer (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 people have the last name Kauderer?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kauderer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.