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

Kehr, 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 Kehr surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kehr in America

Kehr is the 18078th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kehr surname appeared 1,542 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 Kehr.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kehr 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 Kehr

The surname KEHR originated in Germany, with its earliest known origins dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Germanic word "kêr," which means "to turn" or "to bend." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near a bend in a river or road.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KEHR can be found in the "Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum," a medieval manuscript from the 13th century that documented land transfers and property ownership in Westphalia, Germany. This document mentions a "Hermann Kêre" as a landowner in the year 1243.

Another notable historical figure bearing the KEHR surname was Johann Kehr, a German Catholic priest and historian who lived from 1859 to 1937. He was a prominent scholar of canon law and ecclesiastical history, and his work on the papal registers of the Middle Ages is considered a significant contribution to the field.

In the 16th century, the name KEHR appeared in the town records of Cologne, Germany, where it was spelled "Keyr" or "Keir." This variation in spelling was common during that time, as standardized spellings were not yet widely adopted.

The KEHR surname also has a connection to place names in Germany. For example, the village of Kehr in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate is believed to have derived its name from the old Germanic word "kêr," further indicating the surname's geographical origins.

Other notable individuals with the KEHR surname include:

1. Eckart Kehr (1939-2017), a German physicist and professor at the University of Münster.
2. Friedrich Kehr (1800-1886), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin.
3. Lina Kehr (1866-1948), a German writer and activist for women's rights.
4. Paul Kehr (1860-1944), a German historian and archivist who specialized in the study of medieval papal documents.
5. Theodor Kehr (1914-1984), a German painter and sculptor known for his abstract expressionist works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kehr

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

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

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

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