2000
#11,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,524
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Keltner
Derived from a German place name meaning "cold creek" or "cool stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,797 Americans carry the last name Keltner. That puts it at #12,190 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keltner 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
2.8K
1 in 122,544
Census rank
#12,190
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,439 bearers of the surname Keltner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12190th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keltner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keltner
The surname Keltner is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "kelter," which means "wine press" or "grape press." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely involved in the wine-making industry or lived in a region known for its vineyards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keltner can be found in the town of Württemberg, located in the southwestern region of present-day Germany. The name appears in the parish records of the town, indicating that a family with the surname Keltner resided there in the late 1500s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many German families, including those with the surname Keltner, began migrating to other parts of Europe and the New World in search of better opportunities. This led to the spread and establishment of the name in various regions.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Keltner was Johann Georg Keltner, a German-born artist and illustrator who lived from 1801 to 1878. His works, which included intricate etchings and engravings, were highly regarded during his time.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Keltner, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1811 to 1892. He was known for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy and served as a professor at several universities in Germany.
In the early 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Keltner was Carl Keltner, an American psychologist and professor who lived from 1913 to 1998. He made significant contributions to the study of human emotions and developed the Keltner Facial Coding System, which is widely used in research on facial expressions.
Another notable figure was Hans Keltner, a German-born architect who lived from 1908 to 1985. He was renowned for his modernist designs and was responsible for several iconic buildings in Germany and Switzerland.
Finally, in the realm of sports, there was Wilbur "Woody" Keltner, an American baseball player who played for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox from 1937 to 1949. He was known for his defensive skills at third base and was a member of the 1948 World Series champion Cleveland Indians team.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keltner
Among Census respondents with the surname Keltner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Keltner 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 Keltner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,241
- Two or more races4.5% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keltner
Keltner 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
#12,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,576
+52 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 650 places
2020
#12,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,439
-137 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,449 | 2,524 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,099 | 2,576 | 0.87 | +52 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 650 places |
| 2020 | #12,190 | 2,439 | 0.82 | -137 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 91 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 Keltner 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 | #12,099 | #12,190 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,576 | 2,439 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.82 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keltner bearers went from 2,576 to 2,439 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,099 to #12,190.
FAQ
Keltner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keltner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,797 living Americans carry the surname Keltner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,544 residents.
How common is Keltner?
Keltner ranks #12,190 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,439 people with the surname Keltner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,797), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Keltner.
Has Keltner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keltner went from 2,576 recorded bearers to 2,439. That is a decrease of 137 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,099 to #12,190.
What does the Census say about the background of Keltner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keltner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (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 Keltner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,241 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keltner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (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 Keltner (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 Keltner mean?
Derived from a German place name meaning "cold creek" or "cool stream." 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 Keltner (0.82 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 Keltner?
You can see how common the surname Keltner is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.