2000
#4,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.53
Rare Last name
Keiser
A German occupational surname referring to a cherry grower or one who lives near cherry trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,191 Americans carry the last name Keiser. That puts it at #5,367 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keiser 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
7.2K
1 in 47,664
Census rank
#5,367
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,271 bearers of the surname Keiser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5367th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keiser
The surname Keiser is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Kaiser," which means "emperor" or "ruler." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked in the service of an emperor or a ruler.
In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Kayser" or "Keiser." It first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, particularly in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Keiser can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a famous illustrated world history published in 1493. It lists several individuals with the surname Keiser who held prominent positions in various German cities and regions.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname Keiser are:
1. Reinhard Keiser (1674-1739), a German Baroque composer and one of the most significant composers of operas in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
2. Johann Caspar Keiser (1670-1728), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and cityscapes.
3. Georg Keiser (1651-1711), a German organist and composer who served as the court organist for the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
4. Friedrich Keiser (1835-1910), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of modern Berlin.
5. Karl Keiser (1869-1945), a German mathematician and educator who made contributions to the field of algebra and number theory.
The name Keiser was also associated with certain place names in Germany, such as Kaiserslautern, which translates to "Emperor's Meadow," and Kaisersesch, meaning "Emperor's Ash Tree."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keiser
Among Census respondents with the surname Keiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Keiser 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 Keiser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 5,752
- Two or more races3.5% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 49
- Black or African American0.6% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keiser
Keiser 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
#4,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,348
+526 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#5,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,271
-1,077 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 558 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,749 | 6,822 | 2.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,809 | 7,348 | 2.49 | +526 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #5,367 | 6,271 | 2.10 | -1,077 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 558 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 Keiser 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 | #4,809 | #5,367 | -11.6% |
| Count | 7,348 | 6,271 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.49 | 2.10 | -15.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keiser bearers went from 7,348 to 6,271 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 558 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,809 to #5,367.
FAQ
Keiser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keiser?
Name Census estimates that about 7,191 living Americans carry the surname Keiser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,664 residents.
How common is Keiser?
Keiser ranks #5,367 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,271 people with the surname Keiser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,191), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Keiser.
Has Keiser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keiser went from 7,348 recorded bearers to 6,271. That is a decrease of 1,077 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,809 to #5,367.
What does the Census say about the background of Keiser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Keiser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (5,752 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keiser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Keiser (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 Keiser mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a cherry grower or one who lives near cherry trees. 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 Keiser (2.10 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 people have the last name Keiser?
See how many people are called Keiser on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.