2000
#8,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,824
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Keister
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of chests, trunks, or boxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,978 Americans carry the last name Keister. That puts it at #9,038 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keister 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
4.0K
1 in 86,162
Census rank
#9,038
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,469 bearers of the surname Keister in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9038th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keister, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keister
The surname Keister originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "küster," which means "sexton" or "custodian of a church." This occupational name was likely given to someone who held such a position in a local parish or religious institution.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century. In these records, a certain "Henricus Kuster" is mentioned as a resident of the town of Mainz in the year 1274.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Küster, Kuster, Kuester, and eventually, Keister. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
In the 16th century, the Keister name gained some prominence with the birth of Johann Keister (1518-1594), a renowned German theologian and author of several influential works on Protestant theology. His writings and teachings had a significant impact on the religious landscape of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Gottfried Keister (1670-1746), a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of baroque music. His compositions for organ and other instruments were highly regarded during his lifetime and continue to be studied and performed today.
In the 19th century, the Keister name crossed the Atlantic Ocean with German immigrants who settled in various parts of North America. One such individual was Wilhelm Keister (1823-1892), a farmer and entrepreneur who established a successful agricultural business in the state of Pennsylvania, United States.
As the centuries passed, the Keister surname continued to spread across different continents, carried by individuals seeking new opportunities and settling in diverse regions of the world. While its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking lands of Europe, the name has become a part of the cultural tapestry of many nations, reflecting the historic movement and migration of peoples.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keister
Among Census respondents with the surname Keister, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Keister 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 Keister surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 3,246
- Two or more races2.9% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keister
Keister 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
#7,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,560
+736 bearers (+19.2%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Up 688 places
2020
#9,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,469
-1,091 bearers (-23.9%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 1,721 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,005 | 3,824 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,317 | 4,560 | 1.55 | +736 bearers (+19.2%) | Up 688 places |
| 2020 | #9,038 | 3,469 | 1.16 | -1,091 bearers (-23.9%) | Down 1,721 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 Keister 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 | #7,317 | #9,038 | -23.5% |
| Count | 4,560 | 3,469 | -23.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.16 | -25.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keister bearers went from 4,560 to 3,469 (-23.9% change). The surname moved down 1,721 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,317 to #9,038.
FAQ
Keister surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keister?
Name Census estimates that about 3,978 living Americans carry the surname Keister. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,162 residents.
How common is Keister?
Keister ranks #9,038 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,469 people with the surname Keister. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,978), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Keister.
Has Keister become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keister went from 4,560 recorded bearers to 3,469. That is a decrease of 1,091 (-23.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,317 to #9,038.
What does the Census say about the background of Keister?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keister, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Keister in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (3,246 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keister appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Keister (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 Keister mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of chests, trunks, or boxes. 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 Keister (1.16 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 are called Keister?
Find out how many people have the last name Keister on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.