2000
#7,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,334
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Kellner
An occupational surname referring to a cellarman or one who manages a wine cellar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,880 Americans carry the last name Kellner. That puts it at #7,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,237 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kellner 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
4.9K
1 in 70,237
Census rank
#7,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,256 bearers of the surname Kellner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kellner
The surname Kellner is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the old German word "kellner," which means "cellar master" or "steward." This occupation-based surname was likely given to individuals who worked in cellars or stewarded estates, managing household affairs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kellner appears in the Buxheim Chronicles, a 15th-century manuscript from the Buxheim Charterhouse in Bavaria. The entry, dated 1412, mentions a certain "Hainrich Kellner" who was a citizen of Memmingen, a town in the region.
In the 16th century, the surname Kellner can be found in various historical records across German-speaking regions. For instance, the Reformation-era theologian and reformer Johannes Kellner (1505-1570) was born in Nuremberg and played a significant role in the spread of Lutheranism in the city.
The name Kellner also has associations with places and regions. In some cases, the surname may have derived from place names such as Kellnersdorf, a village in Saxony, or Kellnersgrün, a municipality in Thuringia. These place names suggest a connection to areas where cellars or wine-making were prevalent.
Notable individuals with the surname Kellner include:
1. David Kellner (1670-1753), a German-born architect and engineer who worked in Russia and designed several notable buildings in St. Petersburg.
2. Louise Kellner (1858-1909), an Austrian painter and illustrator known for her portraits and landscapes.
3. Leon Kellner (1859-1928), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Kellner Department Store chain in New York City.
4. Bernhard Kellner (1879-1951), a German astronomer and pioneer in the field of photography, known for his contributions to astrophotography.
5. Alfred Kellner (1904-1976), an Austrian-born American mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of differential geometry and partial differential equations.
While the surname Kellner has its roots in Germany and the German-speaking regions of Europe, it has since spread globally through migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval occupational titles and place names associated with cellar management and stewardship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kellner
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kellner 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 Kellner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 3,962
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 140
- Two or more races2.1% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 44
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kellner
Kellner 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
#7,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,329
-5 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 565 places
2020
#7,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,256
-73 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,108 | 4,334 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,673 | 4,329 | 1.47 | -5 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 565 places |
| 2020 | #7,534 | 4,256 | 1.42 | -73 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 139 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 Kellner 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 | #7,673 | #7,534 | 1.8% |
| Count | 4,329 | 4,256 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.42 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kellner bearers went from 4,329 to 4,256 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 139 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,673 to #7,534.
FAQ
Kellner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kellner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,880 living Americans carry the surname Kellner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,237 residents.
How common is Kellner?
Kellner ranks #7,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,256 people with the surname Kellner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,880), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Kellner.
Has Kellner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kellner went from 4,329 recorded bearers to 4,256. That is a decrease of 73 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,673 to #7,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Kellner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kellner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Kellner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (3,962 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kellner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Kellner (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 Kellner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a cellarman or one who manages a wine 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 Kellner (1.42 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 are called Kellner?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Kellner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.