2000
#3,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.48
Uncommon Last name
Keefer
Derived from the German occupational surname "Küfer," referring to a cooper or barrel maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,514 Americans carry the last name Keefer. That puts it at #3,772 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keefer 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
11K
1 in 32,600
Census rank
#3,772
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,169 bearers of the surname Keefer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3772nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keefer
The surname Keefer has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "küfer," which refers to a person who makes or repairs wooden casks, barrels, or tubs. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the German town of Esslingen in 1283, where a certain "Conrad der Kufer" is mentioned in official records.
In the 14th century, the name Keefer began appearing in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. During this period, it was often spelled as "Kufer" or "Kuffer." The name's association with the coopers' trade made it a common occupational surname among those involved in the production and maintenance of wooden vessels.
The Keefer surname is also found in historical records from the Netherlands and Switzerland, where it is believed to have been introduced by German immigrants or traders. In the Dutch city of Amsterdam, a registry from 1492 mentions a "Jan Kuyffer," which is likely an early variant of the name.
As the Keefer family spread across Europe, the name underwent various spelling changes, including "Keffer," "Kiefer," and "Küffer." One notable individual bearing this surname was Johann Kiefer (1616-1690), a German Lutheran theologian and writer who authored several religious works.
In the 17th century, the Keefer surname made its way to America, where it was often anglicized to "Keefer" or "Keffer." Among the earliest recorded instances is that of Hans Kiefer, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany in 1732.
Over the centuries, the Keefer name has been associated with a number of notable individuals, including:
1. Johann Kiefer (1616-1690), German Lutheran theologian and writer.
2. Samuel Keffer (1725-1789), American soldier and Indian agent during the Revolutionary War.
3. Charles Kiefer (1824-1892), German-American architect who designed several prominent buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
4. Ludwig Kiefer (1846-1923), German painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
5. Walter Keefer (1914-1986), American actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career.
While the Keefer surname has its roots in the German language and the coopers' trade, it has since become an established surname in many countries around the world, with a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keefer
Among Census respondents with the surname Keefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Keefer 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 Keefer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 8,473
- Two or more races2.8% · 261
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 238
- Black or African American1.2% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keefer
Keefer 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
#3,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,552
+161 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.24
Rank movement Down 232 places
2020
#3,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,169
-383 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,481 | 9,391 | 3.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,713 | 9,552 | 3.24 | +161 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 232 places |
| 2020 | #3,772 | 9,169 | 3.07 | -383 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 59 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 Keefer 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 | #3,713 | #3,772 | -1.6% |
| Count | 9,552 | 9,169 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.24 | 3.07 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keefer bearers went from 9,552 to 9,169 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,713 to #3,772.
FAQ
Keefer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keefer?
Name Census estimates that about 10,514 living Americans carry the surname Keefer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,600 residents.
How common is Keefer?
Keefer ranks #3,772 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,169 people with the surname Keefer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,514), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Keefer.
Has Keefer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keefer went from 9,552 recorded bearers to 9,169. That is a decrease of 383 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,713 to #3,772.
What does the Census say about the background of Keefer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Keefer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (8,473 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keefer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Keefer (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 Keefer mean?
Derived from the German occupational surname "Küfer," referring to a cooper or 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 Keefer (3.07 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 Americans have the surname Keefer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.