2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kempken
A Dutch surname derived from the Middle Dutch word "kempe", meaning fighter or champion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Kempken. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kempken 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Kempken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kempken, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kempken
The surname Kempken originates from Germany, specifically the northern regions such as Lower Saxony and Westphalia. It likely emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Middle Low German word "kempe," which referred to a wrestler or a strong, robust man.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1492 census of the city of Münster, where a certain Hinrick Kempken is listed as a resident. In the 16th century, the Kempken family was known to have lived in the town of Beckum, located in the Principality of Münster.
During the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and tax registers across northern Germany. For example, in 1632, a Gerhard Kempken is mentioned in the baptismal records of the St. Lamberti Church in Münster.
The earliest known bearer of the Kempken name was likely Henrich Kempken, born around 1520 in the village of Lüdinghausen, near Münster. He was a farmer and landowner, as recorded in the local land registry of 1567.
Another notable individual was Johann Kempken, a merchant and alderman in the city of Osnabrück during the late 16th century. He was involved in the local government and played a role in the city's affairs during the turbulent times of the Reformation.
In the 18th century, the Kempken family had spread to other parts of Germany, including the region of Pomerania (now part of Poland). A certain Friedrich Kempken, born in 1724 in the town of Stettin (now Szczecin), became a respected Lutheran pastor and authored several religious texts.
The 19th century saw the emergence of several prominent figures bearing the Kempken name. One such individual was Wilhelm Kempken, a renowned artist and painter born in 1830 in Düsseldorf. His works were exhibited in galleries across Europe and are still highly regarded by art critics today.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johanna Kempken, born in 1845 in Münster. She was a pioneering educator and founded one of the first schools for girls in the city, breaking down barriers and promoting education for women at a time when it was still uncommon.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kempken
Among Census respondents with the surname Kempken, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kempken 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 Kempken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 111
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kempken
Kempken 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,861 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,966 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,861 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 5,966 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 Kempken 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 | #138,304 | #144,270 | -4.3% |
| Count | 121 | 117 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kempken bearers went from 121 to 117 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 5,966 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #144,270.
FAQ
Kempken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kempken?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Kempken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Kempken?
Kempken ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Kempken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Kempken.
Has Kempken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kempken went from 121 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kempken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kempken, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Kempken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kempken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Kempken (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 Kempken mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the Middle Dutch word "kempe", meaning fighter or champion. 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 Kempken (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 common is the surname Kempken?
See how many people are called Kempken on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.