2000
#7,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,396
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Kellar
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname for a cellar master, derived from the German word "Keller" meaning cellar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,986 Americans carry the last name Kellar. That puts it at #7,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,743 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kellar 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kellar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,743
Census rank
#7,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,348 bearers of the surname Kellar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kellar
The surname Kellar is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "kellære," meaning "cellar-master" or "cellarman." It first emerged in the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, where many individuals were employed in the wine and beer trade, overseeing the storage and distribution of these beverages from underground cellars.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kellar can be found in the Annals of Regensburg, a chronicle detailing the history of the city of Regensburg, Bavaria, from the 6th to the 12th century. The entry from 1286 mentions a "Heinrich Kellar," who was a prominent merchant and burgher of the city.
In the 15th century, the Kellar family gained prominence in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria. Johannes Kellar (1432-1505) was a respected lawyer and served as the town's legal advisor for several decades.
As the name spread across central Europe, it underwent various spellings, such as Keller, Keler, and Kellner. One notable figure from this era was Hans Kellner (1470-1512), a German Renaissance artist and engraver from Nuremberg, renowned for his intricate woodcuts and engravings.
In the 17th century, the Kellar name found its way to the New World. Johann Kellar (1620-1688) was among the earliest German immigrants to Pennsylvania, arriving in the 1680s as part of the German Palatine migration. He settled in Germantown, Philadelphia, and his descendants played a significant role in the development of the region.
Another notable individual bearing the Kellar surname was Harry Kellar (1849-1922), an American magician and illusionist who was one of the most famous performers of his time. He was born Heinrich Keller in Erie, Pennsylvania, and achieved great success touring both the United States and Europe with his elaborate stage shows.
Throughout its long history, the surname Kellar has been associated with various professions, from wine merchants and lawyers to artists and entertainers. Its roots can be traced back to the cellars of medieval Bavaria, where the name first emerged as a reflection of the occupation of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kellar
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kellar 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 Kellar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 3,800
- Two or more races4.6% · 199
- Black or African American3.7% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kellar
Kellar 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
#6,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,120
+724 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 416 places
2020
#7,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,348
-772 bearers (-15.1%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 778 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,029 | 4,396 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,613 | 5,120 | 1.74 | +724 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 416 places |
| 2020 | #7,391 | 4,348 | 1.45 | -772 bearers (-15.1%) | Down 778 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 Kellar 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 | #6,613 | #7,391 | -11.8% |
| Count | 5,120 | 4,348 | -15.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.45 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kellar bearers went from 5,120 to 4,348 (-15.1% change). The surname moved down 778 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,613 to #7,391.
FAQ
Kellar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kellar?
Name Census estimates that about 4,986 living Americans carry the surname Kellar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,743 residents.
How common is Kellar?
Kellar ranks #7,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,348 people with the surname Kellar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,986), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Kellar.
Has Kellar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kellar went from 5,120 recorded bearers to 4,348. That is a decrease of 772 (-15.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,613 to #7,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Kellar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Kellar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (3,800 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kellar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (3.7%). 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 Kellar (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 Kellar mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname for a cellar master, derived from the German word "Keller" meaning cellar. 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 Kellar (1.45 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 Kellar?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kellar? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.