2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kehring
A surname derived from the German word "kehren" meaning "to sweep" or "to clean."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kehring. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kehring 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kehring in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kehring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kehring
The surname Kehring has its origins in Germany, with the first recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kehrrecht," which translates to the "right to sweep." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a profession or occupation, possibly linked to sweeping or cleaning.
In the early 1500s, the name appeared in various records and documents from the region of Bavaria, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Kehring, a farmer from the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, who lived between 1520 and 1587.
As the centuries passed, the Kehring surname spread to other parts of Germany, with variations in spelling emerging, such as Kehrring, Keuring, and Keuringh. These variations were often the result of regional dialects and the inconsistent recording of names during that time period.
One notable historical figure associated with the name was Johann Kehring, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1649 to 1720. He was known for his work on moral philosophy and his contributions to the Protestant Reformation.
In the 18th century, the Kehring surname also appeared in various records from the Alsace region, which was then part of France. One such record mentions a Jakob Kehring, a miller who lived in the village of Obernai between 1765 and 1832.
As people began to migrate and explore new lands, the Kehring surname made its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. Johann Georg Kehring, born in 1795 in Baden, Germany, was one of the first recorded individuals with this surname to settle in the United States, arriving in Pennsylvania in the 1820s.
Another notable bearer of the Kehring surname was Wilhelm Kehring, a German artist and painter who lived from 1849 to 1925. He was known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region of Germany.
While the Kehring surname may not be as widely recognized as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that spans multiple centuries and regions, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who have borne this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kehring
Among Census respondents with the surname Kehring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kehring 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 Kehring surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kehring
Kehring 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-20 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,861 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+9 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,607 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 26,861 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 6,607 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 Kehring 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 | #149,395 | #142,788 | 4.4% |
| Count | 110 | 119 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kehring bearers went from 110 to 119 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 6,607 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kehring surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kehring?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kehring. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kehring?
Kehring ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Kehring. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Kehring.
Has Kehring become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kehring went from 110 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 9 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kehring?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kehring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Kehring in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kehring appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (4.2%), Black (1.7%). 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 Kehring (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 Kehring mean?
A surname derived from the German word "kehren" meaning "to sweep" or "to clean." 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 Kehring (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 Americans have the surname Kehring?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.