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

Kehrli, 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 Kehrli surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kehrli in America

Kehrli is the 53913th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kehrli surname appeared 383 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kehrli.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kehrli 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 Kehrli

The surname Kehrli is of Swiss-German origin, emerging from the regions of Switzerland and southern Germany in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German word "cheraere," meaning "one who turns or rotates," which likely referred to an occupation or trade involving the spinning or turning of objects.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kehrli can be found in the 15th century Swiss manuscript known as the "Eidgenössische Abschieden," which documented proceedings of the Swiss Confederacy. In this record, the name appears spelled as "Kerli" and is associated with individuals from the canton of Lucerne.

In the 16th century, the name Kehrli is recorded in various municipal records and church registers across southern Germany and Switzerland, with variations in spelling such as "Kerli," "Kärli," and "Kehrlin." These records often indicate the name's connection to specific towns or villages, such as "Kehrli von Schaffhausen" (Kehrli from Schaffhausen) or "Kehrli von Zug" (Kehrli from Zug).

Notable individuals bearing the surname Kehrli include:

1. Joachim Kehrli (1529-1598), a Swiss Protestant reformer and theologian from Zurich.
2. Hans Kehrli (1640-1709), a Swiss clockmaker and inventor from Bern, known for his innovations in timepiece mechanisms.
3. Anna Kehrli (1708-1784), a Swiss painter and miniaturist, renowned for her portraits of aristocratic families in Basel.
4. Johann Jakob Kehrli (1789-1862), a Swiss architect and urban planner, responsible for the design of several landmark buildings in Lucerne.
5. Emil Kehrli (1858-1933), a Swiss industrialist and entrepreneur, founder of the Kehrli & Co. textile manufacturing company in St. Gallen.

While the surname Kehrli is still found predominantly in Switzerland and parts of southern Germany, it has also spread to other regions through migration and diaspora over the centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the Swiss-German regions, where it emerged as an occupational surname related to the turning or spinning trades.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kehrli

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

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

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

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