2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kellenbenz
A German locational or topographic surname derived from a place named Kellenbach or Kellenberg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Kellenbenz. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kellenbenz 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Kellenbenz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellenbenz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kellenbenz
The surname Kellenbenz has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the late medieval period around the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "Kellen," meaning "cellar," and "benz," which could refer to a person's occupation or residence near a cellar or basement area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kellenbenz name appears in a historical document from the city of Nuremberg in 1492, where a certain Hans Kellenbenz is mentioned as a local merchant. This suggests that the name may have been associated with wine merchants or tavern owners who operated cellars or storage spaces for their goods.
In the 16th century, the name Kellenbenz can be found in various parish records and municipal archives across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. One notable individual was Johann Kellenbenz (1512-1579), a prominent Lutheran theologian and reformer from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, as the Kellenbenz family spread across different parts of Germany, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Kellenbenz, Kellenbentz, or Kellenbennz. One example is Georg Kellenbenz (1687-1743), a master carpenter and builder from the town of Bamberg, who was involved in the construction of several churches and public buildings.
In the 19th century, the Kellenbenz name gained recognition through the works of the German historian and economist Hermann Kellenbenz (1815-1890), who was born in the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd and authored several books on the economic history of Germany and Europe.
Another notable figure was the German-American chemist and educator Hugo Kellenbenz (1882-1958), who emigrated to the United States in the early 20th century and served as a professor at various universities, including the University of California, Berkeley.
Throughout its history, the Kellenbenz surname has been associated with individuals from various professions, including scholars, artisans, merchants, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kellenbenz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellenbenz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kellenbenz 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 Kellenbenz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kellenbenz
Kellenbenz 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-2 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,599 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 9,599 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,132 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 Kellenbenz 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 | #131,379 | #143,511 | -9.2% |
| Count | 129 | 118 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kellenbenz bearers went from 129 to 118 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 12,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #143,511.
FAQ
Kellenbenz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kellenbenz?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Kellenbenz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Kellenbenz?
Kellenbenz ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Kellenbenz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kellenbenz.
Has Kellenbenz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kellenbenz went from 129 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Kellenbenz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellenbenz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Kellenbenz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kellenbenz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Kellenbenz (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 Kellenbenz mean?
A German locational or topographic surname derived from a place named Kellenbach or Kellenberg. 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 Kellenbenz (0.04 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 share the surname Kellenbenz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.