2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Keaffaber
An anglicized occupational surname derived from the German word for cooper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Keaffaber. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keaffaber 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Keaffaber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keaffaber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keaffaber
The surname KEAFFABER originates from the German region, with its roots tracing back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "keaf" meaning "strong" and "faber" meaning "smith" or "craftsman." This combination suggests that the name may have been associated with a skilled and robust blacksmith or metalworker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KEAFFABER can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dating back to 1587. The name appears in an entry detailing the birth of a child named Hans Keaffaber to a family of metalworkers. This evidence supports the theory that the name originated from a profession associated with metalwork or smithery.
In the 17th century, the name KEAFFABER appeared in several historical manuscripts and documents from the region of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. One notable record is from the town of Esslingen, where a Johann Keaffaber was listed as a master blacksmith in the local guild records of 1638.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations. In the Netherlands, for instance, the name was sometimes spelled as "Kefaber" or "Keffaber." This variation can be found in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, where a child named Pieter Keffaber was baptized in 1702.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name KEAFFABER was Hans Keaffaber, a renowned metalsmith who lived in Nuremberg, Germany, from 1560 to 1623. His intricate works, including ornate suits of armor and decorative metalwork, can still be found in museums across Europe.
Another notable figure was Johann Keaffaber (1678-1742), a German theologian and philosopher from the town of Tübingen. He authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy, contributing significantly to the intellectual discourse of his time.
In the 19th century, the name KEAFFABER gained prominence in the field of science with the birth of Wilhelm Keaffaber (1822-1901), a German chemist and inventor. He is credited with developing several groundbreaking chemical processes and holding patents for various industrial applications.
One of the most celebrated individuals with the surname KEAFFABER was the German painter and artist, Elise Keaffaber (1853-1928). Her vibrant landscape paintings and portraits were widely acclaimed, and her works can be found in prestigious galleries across Europe.
The name KEAFFABER also has ties to the literary world, with the author and poet, Karl Keaffaber (1890-1967), who gained recognition for his thought-provoking works exploring themes of identity, love, and the human condition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keaffaber
Among Census respondents with the surname Keaffaber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Keaffaber 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 Keaffaber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.7% · 5
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keaffaber
Keaffaber appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-18 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,746 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 16,746 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 Keaffaber 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 | #135,593 | #152,339 | -12.4% |
| Count | 124 | 106 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keaffaber bearers went from 124 to 106 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 16,746 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #152,339.
FAQ
Keaffaber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keaffaber?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Keaffaber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Keaffaber?
Keaffaber ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Keaffaber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Keaffaber.
Has Keaffaber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keaffaber went from 124 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Keaffaber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keaffaber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Keaffaber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keaffaber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Keaffaber (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 Keaffaber mean?
An anglicized occupational surname derived from the German word for cooper. 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 Keaffaber (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 are called Keaffaber?
You can see how many people are called Keaffaber on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.