2000
#3,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,339
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.83
Uncommon Last name
Kemper
An occupational surname referring to a person who grows or processes hemp, a plant used for making rope and fabric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,276 Americans carry the last name Kemper. That puts it at #3,541 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kemper 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
11K
1 in 30,397
Census rank
#3,541
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,833 bearers of the surname Kemper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3541st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kemper, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kemper
The surname Kemper originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "kembro" or "kembo," which means "warrior" or "fighter." The earliest known spelling of the name was "Kembere," which appeared in records from the Rhineland region.
During the Middle Ages, the Kemper name was particularly prevalent in the areas of Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and Friesland. It is believed that some bearers of the name were members of the military class or served as knights or soldiers, reflecting the warrior connotation of the name's origin.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Kemper name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westphalicarum, a collection of charters and documents from Westphalia dating back to the 9th century. The name also appeared in various local records and manuscripts throughout the Medieval period.
The Kemper family played a role in the history of the city of Münster, located in Westphalia. In the 16th century, during the Anabaptist rebellion known as the Münster Rebellion, a man named Bernhard Kemper is recorded as being one of the leaders of the city's defense against the rebel forces.
Another notable figure with the Kemper surname was Johann Kemper (1670-1753), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Giessen. He was highly regarded for his works on ethics and natural law.
In the 19th century, Wilhelm Kemper (1824-1892) was a prominent German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag building and the Berlin Cathedral.
The Kemper name also has historical connections to the Netherlands. Jan Kemper (1884-1957) was a Dutch painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and city scenes. His works are now part of the collections of various museums in the Netherlands.
Lastly, Margot Kemper (1903-1991) was a German actress who appeared in numerous films during the Golden Age of German cinema in the 1930s and 1940s. She is remembered for her performances in films such as "Die Hose" (1927) and "Der Kongreß tanzt" (1931).
These examples illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of individuals bearing the Kemper surname, which can be traced back to its warrior-related origins in medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kemper
Among Census respondents with the surname Kemper, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kemper 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 Kemper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 8,532
- Black or African American5.4% · 528
- Two or more races3.9% · 388
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 271
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kemper
Kemper 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
#3,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,518
+179 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.57
Rank movement Down 219 places
2020
#3,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,833
-685 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Down 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,182 | 10,339 | 3.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,401 | 10,518 | 3.57 | +179 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 219 places |
| 2020 | #3,541 | 9,833 | 3.29 | -685 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 140 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 Kemper 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 | #3,401 | #3,541 | -4.1% |
| Count | 10,518 | 9,833 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.57 | 3.29 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kemper bearers went from 10,518 to 9,833 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,401 to #3,541.
FAQ
Kemper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kemper?
Name Census estimates that about 11,276 living Americans carry the surname Kemper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,397 residents.
How common is Kemper?
Kemper ranks #3,541 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,833 people with the surname Kemper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kemper.
Has Kemper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kemper went from 10,518 recorded bearers to 9,833. That is a decrease of 685 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,401 to #3,541.
What does the Census say about the background of Kemper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kemper, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Kemper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (8,532 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kemper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Kemper (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 Kemper mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who grows or processes hemp, a plant used for making rope and fabric. 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 Kemper (3.29 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 Kemper?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.