2000
#42,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 483
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Keitel
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word 'kittel' meaning a cloak or coat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 499 Americans carry the last name Keitel. That puts it at #51,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 686,882 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keitel 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
499
1 in 686,882
Census rank
#51,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
435
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 435 bearers of the surname Keitel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keitel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keitel
The surname Keitel originates from Germany and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ketil," which means "kettle" or "cauldron." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who worked with kettles or made cauldrons.
In the 13th century, the name Keitel appeared in various records and documents across various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia. Some of the earliest recorded spellings of the name include Ketil, Kettil, and Kettel, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One of the earliest known references to the Keitel name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 14th century. This document mentions a person named "Heynricus Kettel" in the year 1357.
In the 16th century, the Keitel name was associated with several notable individuals. One of them was Johann Keitel (1511-1584), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another notable figure was Hans Keitel (1542-1607), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works.
During the 17th century, the Keitel surname became more widespread across Germany. One notable bearer of the name was Georg Keitel (1641-1703), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Merseburg.
In the 19th century, the Keitel name gained prominence with Wilhelm Keitel (1882-1946), a German field marshal who served as the head of the Armed Forces High Command during World War II. He was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg Trials and executed in 1946.
Another notable individual with the Keitel surname was Walter Keitel (1892-1942), a German artist and painter known for his expressionist works. He was a member of the Berlin Secession, a group of artists who broke away from the traditional artistic establishment.
Throughout history, the Keitel surname has been associated with various occupations, including metalworkers, artisans, musicians, and military personnel, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and professions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keitel
Among Census respondents with the surname Keitel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Keitel 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 Keitel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 409
- Two or more races2.5% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keitel
Keitel 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
#45,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
-15 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 3,364 places
2020
#51,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 435
-33 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 6,009 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,289 | 483 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,653 | 468 | 0.16 | -15 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 3,364 places |
| 2020 | #51,662 | 435 | 0.15 | -33 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 6,009 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 Keitel 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 | #45,653 | #51,662 | -13.2% |
| Count | 468 | 435 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.15 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keitel bearers went from 468 to 435 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 6,009 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,653 to #51,662.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Keitel
FAQ
Keitel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keitel?
Name Census estimates that about 499 living Americans carry the surname Keitel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 686,882 residents.
How common is Keitel?
Keitel ranks #51,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 435 people with the surname Keitel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Keitel.
Has Keitel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keitel went from 468 recorded bearers to 435. That is a decrease of 33 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #45,653 to #51,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Keitel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keitel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Keitel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (409 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keitel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Keitel (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 Keitel mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word 'kittel' meaning a cloak or coat. 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 Keitel (0.15 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 Keitel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.