2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kendl
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from the word "Kendel" meaning a small barrel or cask.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Kendl. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kendl 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Kendl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kendl, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kendl
The surname KENDL is believed to have its origins in Germany, where it was first recorded in the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "kennel," which referred to a small stream or channel. This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with someone who lived near a small body of water or waterway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KENDL surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, which mentions a person named "Kendel" in a land transaction dating back to 1287. This early spelling variation highlights the fluid nature of surnames during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the town of Nuremberg, where it was sometimes spelled as "Kendel" or "Kenndel." One notable bearer of the name from this period was Hans Kendl, a merchant and guild member who was active in Nuremberg's thriving trade scene during the late 1300s.
By the 16th century, the surname had spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. One prominent figure with the KENDL surname was Johann Kendl, a Lutheran theologian and author who was born in Regensburg in 1525 and wrote extensively on religious topics during the Reformation era.
In the 17th century, the name appears in records from the town of Schwäbisch Hall in southern Germany, where a family of KENDL tanners and leatherworkers were prominent members of the local guild. One of the most notable members of this family was Georg Kendl, who served as the guild's master tanner from 1632 to 1657.
As the centuries progressed, the KENDL surname continued to spread across German-speaking regions, with bearers of the name appearing in various professions and walks of life. In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname was Friedrich Kendl, a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Iron Cross for his bravery in battle.
Other historical figures with the KENDL surname include Karl Kendl, an Austrian artist and painter who was active in the late 19th century, and Alois Kendl, a German composer and music teacher who lived from 1833 to 1901 and published several works for piano and chamber ensembles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kendl
Among Census respondents with the surname Kendl, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kendl 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 Kendl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino8.6% · 9
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Black or African American3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kendl
Kendl 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,468 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,468 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 6,723 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 Kendl 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 | #159,712 | #152,989 | 4.2% |
| Count | 101 | 105 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kendl bearers went from 101 to 105 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 6,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Kendl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kendl?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Kendl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Kendl?
Kendl ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Kendl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Kendl.
Has Kendl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kendl went from 101 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Kendl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kendl, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Kendl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kendl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Hispanic (8.6%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Kendl (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 Kendl mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from the word "Kendel" meaning a small barrel or cask. 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 Kendl (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 people share the surname Kendl?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.