2000
#12,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Kelch
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made or used chalices or goblets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,351 Americans carry the last name Kelch. That puts it at #14,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,791 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kelch 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
2.4K
1 in 145,791
Census rank
#14,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,050 bearers of the surname Kelch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelch, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kelch
The surname Kelch originates from Germany and dates back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "kelch," which means "cup" or "chalice." The name may have been initially given as a descriptive term for someone who made or sold cups or chalices, or it could have been a distinguishing name for someone who lived near a distinctive cup-shaped landform.
In the 13th century, a record exists of a Henricus Kelch in the town of Speyer, Germany. This is one of the earliest known instances of the name in written records. The Kelch name also appears in various historical documents from the Rhineland region of Germany during the 14th and 15th centuries.
One notable historical figure with the surname Kelch was Johann Peter Theodor Kelch, a German writer and translator born in 1701 in Bayreuth. He is known for his translations of French literary works into German.
Another significant individual was Johann Adam Kelch, born in 1737 in Nuremberg, who was a renowned German engraver and etcher. His etchings of architectural subjects and landscapes were highly regarded in his time.
In the 16th century, the Kelch name can be found in records from the town of Wunsiedel in the Fichtelgebirge region of Bavaria. The surname may have originated from a nearby place name, such as the village of Kelchsau or the Kelchbach stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kelch name in England dates back to the late 16th century, when Hans Kelch, a German immigrant, settled in London and was naturalized as an English citizen in 1591.
Another notable figure was Johann Kelch, a German astronomer born in 1671 in Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland). He made significant contributions to the study of comets and published several astronomical works during his lifetime.
While the Kelch surname is predominantly German in origin, it has also been found in various other European countries, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. The name has been spelled in different variations, such as Kelch, Kelche, Kelche, and Kelch, but the core meaning and etymology remain the same.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelch
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelch, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kelch 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 Kelch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,875
- Two or more races3.5% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 45
- Black or African American1.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kelch
Kelch 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
#10,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,018
+789 bearers (+35.4%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 2,108 places
2020
#14,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,050
-968 bearers (-32.1%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 3,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,721 | 2,229 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,613 | 3,018 | 1.02 | +789 bearers (+35.4%) | Up 2,108 places |
| 2020 | #14,067 | 2,050 | 0.69 | -968 bearers (-32.1%) | Down 3,454 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 Kelch 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 | #10,613 | #14,067 | -32.5% |
| Count | 3,018 | 2,050 | -32.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.69 | -32.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kelch bearers went from 3,018 to 2,050 (-32.1% change). The surname moved down 3,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,613 to #14,067.
FAQ
Kelch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kelch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,351 living Americans carry the surname Kelch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,791 residents.
How common is Kelch?
Kelch ranks #14,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,050 people with the surname Kelch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,351), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Kelch.
Has Kelch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kelch went from 3,018 recorded bearers to 2,050. That is a decrease of 968 (-32.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,613 to #14,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Kelch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelch, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) 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 Kelch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,875 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kelch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), 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 Kelch (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 Kelch mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made or used chalices or goblets. 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 Kelch (0.69 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 Kelch?
Want to know how many people have the last name Kelch? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.