2000
#8,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,567
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Kellerman
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to a boatman or ferryman who operates a small boat or raft.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,772 Americans carry the last name Kellerman. That puts it at #9,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kellerman 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
3.8K
1 in 90,868
Census rank
#9,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,289 bearers of the surname Kellerman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kellerman
The surname Kellerman has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 15th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German words "Keller" meaning cellar or basement, and "mann" meaning man. This suggests that the original bearers of the name may have been cellarmasters or those who worked in cellars or basements.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Nuremberg in Bavaria, where a Johann Kellerman was listed as a resident in the year 1438. The name also appears in various other German records from the 15th and 16th centuries, with variations in spelling such as Kellermann, Kellermanne, and Kellermaner.
The name Kellerman has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Johann Kellerman, a German composer and organist who lived from 1518 to 1587. He is best known for his contributions to the development of Protestant church music during the Reformation.
Another prominent figure was Francois Christophe Kellermann, a French military leader who played a significant role in the French Revolutionary Wars. He was born in 1735 and died in 1820. Kellermann is particularly renowned for his victory at the Battle of Valmy in 1792, which is considered a turning point in the Revolutionary Wars.
In the United States, the name Kellerman is associated with several notable figures, including Walter Kellermann, a German-American artist and illustrator who lived from 1864 to 1922. His illustrations appeared in various publications, including Harper's Magazine and The Century Magazine.
Another prominent American with the surname Kellerman was Annette Kellerman, an Australian-American swimmer, performer, and writer who lived from 1887 to 1975. She was a pioneer in the field of synchronized swimming and is credited with popularizing the one-piece bathing suit for women.
The name Kellerman has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Kellermansholzen, a village in Lower Saxony, and Kellermannshaus, a neighborhood in Kaiserslautern.
While the name Kellerman is most commonly found in Germany and the United States, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the historical records of Germany, where it first emerged as a surname several centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kellerman
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kellerman 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 Kellerman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,031
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 108
- Two or more races2.6% · 86
- Black or African American0.9% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kellerman
Kellerman 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
#7,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,252
+685 bearers (+19.2%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 713 places
2020
#9,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,289
-963 bearers (-22.6%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 1,669 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,506 | 3,567 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,793 | 4,252 | 1.44 | +685 bearers (+19.2%) | Up 713 places |
| 2020 | #9,462 | 3,289 | 1.10 | -963 bearers (-22.6%) | Down 1,669 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 Kellerman 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 | #7,793 | #9,462 | -21.4% |
| Count | 4,252 | 3,289 | -22.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.10 | -23.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kellerman bearers went from 4,252 to 3,289 (-22.6% change). The surname moved down 1,669 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,793 to #9,462.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kellerman
FAQ
Kellerman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kellerman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,772 living Americans carry the surname Kellerman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,868 residents.
How common is Kellerman?
Kellerman ranks #9,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,289 people with the surname Kellerman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,772), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Kellerman.
Has Kellerman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kellerman went from 4,252 recorded bearers to 3,289. That is a decrease of 963 (-22.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,793 to #9,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Kellerman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Kellerman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,031 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kellerman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Kellerman (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 Kellerman mean?
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to a boatman or ferryman who operates a small boat or raft. 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 Kellerman (1.10 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 Kellerman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Kellerman is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.