2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kemmerle
A surname with Swiss or German origins, possibly derived from geographical terms describing a comer or angle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Kemmerle. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kemmerle 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Kemmerle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kemmerle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kemmerle
The surname Kemmerle has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Kammer," meaning a room or chamber, and the diminutive suffix "-le," suggesting a small room or chamber. The name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived or worked in a small room or chamber, possibly an artisan or craftsman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kemmerle can be found in the town of Saalfeld, Thuringia, Germany, where a certain Hans Kemmerle was listed as a resident in the year 1587. This suggests that the name was already established in this region by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Kemmerle appeared in various records and documents across different parts of Germany. For example, a Johann Kemmerle was born in Nürnberg, Bavaria, in 1623, and later became a respected clockmaker in the city.
The name Kemmerle also has ties to the town of Kehl, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Historical records from the late 18th century indicate the presence of a family with the surname Kemmerle in this town, which was once known as "Kehl am Rhein" (Kehl on the Rhine).
One notable figure with the surname Kemmerle was Friedrich Kemmerle, a German painter and lithographer who lived from 1839 to 1916. He was known for his landscape paintings and lithographs depicting scenes from the Black Forest region of Germany.
Another individual of note was Karl Kemmerle, a German architect and urban planner who was born in 1884 and died in 1957. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and urban development projects in cities such as Frankfurt and Darmstadt.
In the 20th century, the name Kemmerle continued to be found in various regions of Germany, as well as in other German-speaking countries like Switzerland and Austria. For instance, Gottfried Kemmerle was a Swiss chemist and pharmaceutical researcher who lived from 1906 to 1979 and made significant contributions to the development of new drug compounds.
While the surname Kemmerle is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a long and varied history, with roots stretching back several centuries. The name's origins can be traced to the German language and the concept of a small room or chamber, reflecting the occupations and living situations of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kemmerle
Among Census respondents with the surname Kemmerle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kemmerle 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 Kemmerle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kemmerle
Kemmerle 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,470 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,470 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 5,086 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 Kemmerle 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 | #147,253 | #152,339 | -3.5% |
| Count | 112 | 106 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kemmerle bearers went from 112 to 106 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 5,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #152,339.
FAQ
Kemmerle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kemmerle?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Kemmerle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Kemmerle?
Kemmerle ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Kemmerle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Kemmerle.
Has Kemmerle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kemmerle went from 112 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Kemmerle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kemmerle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Kemmerle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kemmerle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (9.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Kemmerle (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 Kemmerle mean?
A surname with Swiss or German origins, possibly derived from geographical terms describing a comer or angle. 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 Kemmerle (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 Americans have the surname Kemmerle?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.