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

Kayser, 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 Kayser surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kayser in America

Kayser is the 9415th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kayser surname appeared 3,454 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kayser.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kayser 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.

The history of the last name Kayser

The surname Kayser is of German origin, derived from the German word "Kaiser," which means "emperor" or "Caesar." The name likely originated during the era of the Holy Roman Empire, when the title of "Kaiser" held significant power and prestige.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Kayser can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It's believed that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals who held positions of authority or had direct ties to the imperial court.

In the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a document dating back to the late 12th century, there is a mention of a nobleman named Heinrich Kayser, who held lands in the region of Saxony. Additionally, the Annales Fuldenses, a medieval chronicle from the 9th century, references a military leader named Konrad Kayser, who served under the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne.

The surname Kayser has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Kaiserslautern, Kaiserstuhl, and Kaiserwerth. These place names often incorporated the word "Kaiser," indicating a connection to the imperial legacy or the presence of imperial properties in those locations.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Kayser include:

1. Albrecht Kayser (1508-1578), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a councilor to the Holy Roman Emperor.
2. Johann Friedrich Kayser (1713-1791), a German composer and organist known for his contributions to the development of the classical style.
3. Christian Gottlob Kayser (1782-1857), a German philologist and lexicographer, best known for his pioneering work in Greek and Latin dictionaries.
4. Heinrich Ernst Kayser (1815-1888), a German chemist and inventor who developed several important industrial processes, including the production of synthetic ultramarine pigment.
5. Emanuel Kayser (1845-1927), a German geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil invertebrates and stratigraphy.

While the surname Kayser has its roots in the German language and history, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kayser

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

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 Kayser was:

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

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

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

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