2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Keilbach
A German surname derived from an occupational name for a maker or seller of keils (wedges).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Keilbach. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keilbach 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Keilbach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keilbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keilbach
The surname KEILBACH is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the late Middle Ages in the region of present-day Germany. The name is derived from the German word "Keil," meaning "wedge," and "Bach," which translates to "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location near a wedge-shaped stream or a settlement situated alongside a brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KEILBACH surname can be found in a 16th-century manuscript from the region of Württemberg, where a certain Hans KEILBACH was mentioned as a landowner. This document provides valuable insight into the historical presence of the name in southern Germany during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, the KEILBACH surname appears in various official records and church registers from the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. One notable individual was Johann KEILBACH, a respected scholar and theologian who lived from 1619 to 1677 and authored several works on religious philosophy.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, including KEILBACHER, KEILBACH, and KEILBACH. These variations can be found in historical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries, reflecting the regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.
A prominent figure bearing the KEILBACH name was Wilhelm KEILBACH, a German artist and engraver born in 1808 in the city of Nuremberg. His etchings and engravings depicting landscapes and architectural scenes gained him recognition throughout Europe during the Romantic era.
In the late 19th century, the KEILBACH surname was also associated with the brewing industry in Germany. Friedrich KEILBACH, born in 1845 in Munich, established a successful brewery that became renowned for its high-quality beer production. The brewery remained in operation until the early 20th century.
Another notable individual was Karl KEILBACH, a German engineer and inventor who lived from 1869 to 1941. He is credited with developing several innovative technologies in the field of mechanical engineering, including a groundbreaking lathe design that revolutionized manufacturing processes.
As the KEILBACH family spread throughout Germany and beyond, the name became associated with various professions and disciplines, from academia to the arts, and from entrepreneurship to engineering. While the exact origins of the name may remain shrouded in the mists of time, its enduring presence in historical records testifies to its deep-rooted German heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keilbach
Among Census respondents with the surname Keilbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Keilbach 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 Keilbach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keilbach
Keilbach 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+28 bearers (+26.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 16,353 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-25 bearers (-18.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,711 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +28 bearers (+26.4%) | Up 16,353 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.7%) | Down 22,711 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 Keilbach 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 | #127,494 | #150,205 | -17.8% |
| Count | 134 | 109 | -18.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keilbach bearers went from 134 to 109 (-18.7% change). The surname moved down 22,711 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #150,205.
FAQ
Keilbach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keilbach?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Keilbach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Keilbach?
Keilbach ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Keilbach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Keilbach.
Has Keilbach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keilbach went from 134 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Keilbach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keilbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Keilbach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keilbach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Keilbach (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 Keilbach mean?
A German surname derived from an occupational name for a maker or seller of keils (wedges). 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 Keilbach (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 common is the surname Keilbach?
Want to know how many people have the last name Keilbach? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.