2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kazer
An Americanized German surname derived from the word "Käser" meaning cheesemaker or dairyman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Kazer. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kazer 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Kazer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kazer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kazer
The surname Kazer has its origins in Germany and Poland. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kaze" meaning a cat, indicating that the original bearer of this name may have had a close association with cats or was involved in some trade or occupation related to cats.
In the early 16th century, records show variations of the spelling such as Katzer, Kazzer, and Katzner appearing in various regions of Germany and Poland. One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Rothenburg Tax Records of 1542, which lists a Hans Katzer as a resident of the city.
The surname Kazer gained prominence in the 17th and 18th centuries, with several notable individuals bearing this name. Johann Kaspar Kazer (1670-1738) was a renowned German painter and engraver from Augsburg, known for his intricate landscapes and religious works. Another notable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Kazer (1712-1786), a Prussian military officer who served under Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War.
In the 19th century, the surname Kazer continued to spread across Europe, with several notable individuals emerging. August Kazer (1811-1887) was a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Berlin after the city's devastation during the Napoleonic Wars. Heinrich Kazer (1822-1891), on the other hand, was a renowned German botanist and explorer, known for his extensive travels and discoveries in South America.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Kazer also found its way into other parts of the world, carried by emigrants and travelers. One such individual was Johann Kazer (1856-1932), a German-American businessman who established a successful brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the late 19th century.
Throughout its history, the surname Kazer has been associated with various professions and fields, including art, architecture, military, science, and business. While its origins can be traced back to Germany and Poland, the name has since spread across the globe, with families bearing this surname contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural diversity in their respective communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kazer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kazer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kazer 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 Kazer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kazer
Kazer 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-25 bearers (-19.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 33,125 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,479 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -25 bearers (-19.5%) | Down 33,125 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 2,479 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 Kazer 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 | #157,234 | #154,755 | 1.6% |
| Count | 103 | 102 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kazer bearers went from 103 to 102 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 2,479 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #154,755.
FAQ
Kazer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kazer?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Kazer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Kazer?
Kazer ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Kazer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kazer.
Has Kazer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kazer went from 103 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Kazer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kazer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Kazer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kazer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Black (2.9%). 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 Kazer (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 Kazer mean?
An Americanized German surname derived from the word "Käser" meaning cheesemaker or dairyman. 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 Kazer (0.03 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 are called Kazer?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Kazer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.