2000
#58,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 323
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Kelle
An English surname derived from the Old Norse word "kelda" meaning "spring" or "well".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 389 Americans carry the last name Kelle. That puts it at #63,550 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 881,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kelle 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
389
1 in 881,117
Census rank
#63,550
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
339
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 339 bearers of the surname Kelle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 63550th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kelle
The surname KELLE originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "kelle," which means "basin" or "container." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation or trade related to the production or use of basins or containers.
The earliest recorded instances of the name KELLE can be found in medieval German records and documents. One notable example is the mention of a person named Conradus Kelle in a document from the city of Cologne, dated 1187. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the Rhineland region of Germany by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name KELLE appeared in various records across different regions of Germany, such as Saxony and Bavaria. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its original area of origin. During this time, variations in spelling also emerged, including Keller, Kelle, and Kellen.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname KELLE was Johann Kelle, a German scholar and philologist born in 1805. He made significant contributions to the study of Latin literature and classical philology. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Kelle, a German historian and academic born in 1835, who specialized in the history of German literature and culture during the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the KELLE surname can be found in records from various German cities and towns, including Nuremberg, Augsburg, and Frankfurt. This suggests that the name had become well-established across different urban centers in Germany.
Over time, the surname KELLE also spread to other parts of Europe through migration and population movements. For example, in the 18th century, a family with the surname KELLE is recorded as having settled in the Netherlands. Additionally, in the 19th century, there were instances of individuals with the name KELLE living in areas of what is now Poland and the Czech Republic.
Other notable individuals with the surname KELLE include Hans Kelle, a German painter and artist born in 1849, known for his landscapes and genre scenes. Johann Baptist Kelle, born in 1827, was a German Catholic priest and theologian who made contributions to the study of canon law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelle
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kelle 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 Kelle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 310
- Black or African American4.4% · 15
- Two or more races2.4% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kelle
Kelle 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
#62,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 319
-4 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 4,022 places
2020
#63,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 339
+20 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 836 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,692 | 323 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #62,714 | 319 | 0.11 | -4 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 4,022 places |
| 2020 | #63,550 | 339 | 0.11 | +20 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 836 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 Kelle 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 | #62,714 | #63,550 | -1.3% |
| Count | 319 | 339 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | 3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kelle bearers went from 319 to 339 (+6.3% change). The surname moved down 836 positions in the national ranking, going from #62,714 to #63,550.
FAQ
Kelle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kelle?
Name Census estimates that about 389 living Americans carry the surname Kelle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 881,117 residents.
How common is Kelle?
Kelle ranks #63,550 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 339 people with the surname Kelle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (389), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Kelle.
Has Kelle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kelle went from 319 recorded bearers to 339. That is an increase of 20 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #62,714 to #63,550.
What does the Census say about the background of Kelle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (310 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kelle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kelle (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 Kelle mean?
An English surname derived from the Old Norse word "kelda" meaning "spring" or "well". 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 Kelle (0.11 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 Kelle?
Want to know how many people have the surname Kelle? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.