Find out how popular the last name Kemmerer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kemmerer.

Kemmerer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kemmerer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kemmerer in America

Kemmerer is the 12878th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kemmerer surname appeared 2,390 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kemmerer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kemmerer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kemmerer

The surname Kemmerer is of German origin, derived from the word "Kammer," which means "chamber" or "room." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century, likely referring to a person who worked in a chamber or room, perhaps as a chamberlain or a steward.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it appeared in various forms such as Kemmerer, Kemmrer, and Kemmrer. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Kemmerer, a merchant who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 15th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Kemmerer was often associated with the nobility and gentry. In the 16th century, a family of Kemmerers held significant landholdings in the region of Saxony, and one member, Johann Kemmerer (1512-1583), served as a advisor to the Elector of Saxony.

As the name spread across Germany, it also took on various regional variations. In the southern regions, such as Bavaria and Austria, the name was sometimes spelled as "Kämmerle" or "Kämmerlin," while in the northern regions, like Westphalia, it was often written as "Kemmerer" or "Kemmer."

One notable bearer of the name was Johann Kemmerer (1740-1825), a German-born American clockmaker and inventor who lived in Philadelphia. He is credited with developing one of the earliest clock-making factories in the United States and is considered a pioneer in the field of mass-produced clocks.

Another prominent figure was Karl Kemmerer (1850-1920), a German-American lawyer and politician who served as the 16th Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1892 to 1894. He was also a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and played a significant role in the development of Milwaukee's infrastructure and public services.

In the realm of literature, the surname is associated with Donald Kemmerer (1914-2005), an American author and poet who wrote several poetry collections and novels, including "The Belmonte Tragedy" and "The Life We Live."

The name Kemmerer has also been linked to several geographical locations, such as the town of Kemmerer, Wyoming, which was named after Mahlon Kemmerer, a businessman and rancher who played a crucial role in the development of the region's coal mining industry in the late 19th century.

While the surname Kemmerer has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other countries, thanks to emigration and population movements over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kemmerer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kemmerer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kemmerer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kemmerer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kemmerer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kemmerer, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!