2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kefer
A surname derived from the German word "Kefer," meaning a maker of casks or barrels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Kefer. 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 Kefer 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 Kefer 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 Kefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kefer
The surname KEFER has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "kefer," which means "beetle" or "insect." This suggests that the name may have been a nickname or occupational name for someone who worked with insects or beetles, possibly in agriculture or forestry.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the KEFER surname can be found in the church records of a small village in Bavaria, where a man named Hans KEFER was listed as a resident in 1542. Another early reference comes from a land registry in Saxony, where a farmer named Johann KEFER was recorded as owning a parcel of land in 1587.
In the 17th century, the KEFER name began to appear in other parts of Germany, including the region of Hesse. Here, a man named Friedrich KEFER was mentioned in a legal document from 1632, indicating that he was involved in a property dispute.
As the centuries progressed, the KEFER surname spread to other German-speaking regions, including Austria and Switzerland. In the 18th century, a notable figure named Johann Baptist KEFER (1725-1796) gained recognition as a respected architect and builder in the city of Freiburg, where he designed several churches and public buildings.
Another individual of note was Heinrich KEFER (1818-1892), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Rhineland region. His extensive collection of plant specimens is still preserved in the museum of natural history in Bonn.
In the 19th century, the KEFER surname began to appear in records outside of Germany, as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and North America. One such individual was Karl KEFER (1856-1917), a German-American entrepreneur who founded a successful brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While the KEFER name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to many other countries and regions, with people bearing this surname making their mark in various fields and professions throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kefer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kefer 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 Kefer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 111
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kefer
Kefer 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-24 bearers (-16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,261 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-16.7%) | Down 26,261 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,042 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 Kefer 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 | #139,228 | #144,270 | -3.6% |
| Count | 120 | 117 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kefer bearers went from 120 to 117 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #144,270.
FAQ
Kefer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kefer?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Kefer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Kefer?
Kefer 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 Kefer. 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 Kefer.
Has Kefer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kefer went from 120 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kefer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kefer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kefer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kefer (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 Kefer mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Kefer," meaning a maker of casks or barrels. 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 Kefer (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 Kefer?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Kefer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.