2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Keiber
A German occupational surname likely derived from the German word "Kufer" meaning cooper or barrel maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Keiber. 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 Keiber 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 Keiber 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 Keiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keiber
The surname Keiber has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "keib," which means "wedge" or "chisel." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who worked with tools, perhaps as a carpenter or stonemason.
In the early days, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Keiber, Keipper, Keiper, and Keiffer, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. These different spellings can still be found in various parts of Germany today.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keiber can be found in the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the region of Württemberg, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already established in this area during that time period.
Several notable individuals have carried the Keiber surname throughout history. In the 16th century, Johann Keiber (1515-1587) was a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Württemberg. Another prominent figure was Christian Keiber (1670-1738), a German Baroque composer and organist who served as the court musician to the Duke of Württemberg.
In the 19th century, Johann Georg Keiber (1819-1899) was a German-American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Around the same time, Johannes Keiber (1833-1889) was a German-American Lutheran pastor and theologian who worked to establish Lutheran churches in the Midwest.
Moving into the 20th century, Max Keiber (1885-1968) was a German engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of aircraft design and aerodynamics. He worked for companies such as Messerschmitt and played a crucial role in the advancement of aviation technology during his lifetime.
It's worth noting that while the Keiber surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, where it emerged as a name associated with skilled craftsmen and tradesmen.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keiber
Among Census respondents with the surname Keiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Keiber 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 Keiber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keiber
Keiber 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-9 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 14,083 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-16 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 14,083 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 16,021 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 Keiber 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 | #128,249 | #144,270 | -12.5% |
| Count | 133 | 117 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keiber bearers went from 133 to 117 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 16,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #144,270.
FAQ
Keiber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keiber?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Keiber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Keiber?
Keiber 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 Keiber. 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 Keiber.
Has Keiber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keiber went from 133 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Keiber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Keiber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keiber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (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 Keiber (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 Keiber mean?
A German occupational surname likely derived from the German word "Kufer" meaning 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 Keiber (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 Keiber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.