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

Keiper, 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 Keiper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Keiper in America

Keiper is the 14434th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Keiper surname appeared 2,070 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 Keiper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Keiper 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 Keiper

The surname Keiper is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria during the Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Keiper," which referred to a maker or seller of wooden barrels, casks, or vats.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Keiper can be found in the Stadtarchiv Nürnberg (Nuremberg City Archives), where a certain Hans Keiper was mentioned as a resident of the city in the 15th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period.

In the 16th century, the surname Keiper appeared in various records and documents across different regions of Germany. For example, a Johann Keiper was recorded as a cooper (barrel maker) in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1532.

During the 17th century, the name Keiper spread to other parts of Europe as a result of migration and trade. In the Netherlands, a notable figure was Pieter Keiper, a merchant and trader who lived in Amsterdam from 1640 to 1702.

The 18th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals with the surname Keiper. One such person was Johann Friedrich Keiper (1720-1795), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.

In the 19th century, the Keiper family established itself in various professions and trades. Johannes Keiper (1815-1887) was a renowned German architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Frankfurt am Main.

As the surname Keiper continued to spread across Europe and beyond, it evolved into different spellings and variations. For instance, in the United States, the name was sometimes spelled as "Keiper," "Kieper," or "Kyper."

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Keiper have made significant contributions in various fields, such as Gerhard Keiper (1893-1969), a German entrepreneur who founded the Keiper automotive components company, and Wilhelm Keiper (1862-1941), a German educator and writer known for his work on the history of education.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Keiper

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

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

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

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