2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kenneweg
A locational surname referring to someone from a town or place with the same name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kenneweg. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kenneweg 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kenneweg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kenneweg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kenneweg
The surname "KENNEWEG" is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the Low German words "kennen" (to know) and "weg" (way), suggesting a possible association with individuals who served as guides or messengers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Lübeck in northern Germany, where a Henrich Kenneweg was mentioned in 1624. The name also appeared in various legal documents and property records from the region during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Johann Wilhelm Kenneweg (1751-1832), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Jena. His writings on ethics and moral philosophy were influential during the Enlightenment period.
Another individual of note was Carl Friedrich Kenneweg (1802-1879), a German architect and civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of several important buildings and infrastructure projects in Berlin and other parts of Prussia.
Moving into the 19th century, the name gained some prominence in the world of literature with the German writer and poet Wilhelm Kenneweg (1835-1918), whose works often explored themes of nature and rural life.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name in North America was that of Johann Georg Kenneweg (1795-1872), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 19th century and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Lastly, in the field of science, the name is associated with Wilhelm Kenneweg (1876-1944), a German chemist and inventor who patented several processes related to the production of synthetic dyes and pigments.
While the surname "KENNEWEG" may not be among the most common, its presence throughout history can be traced across various fields, from academia and literature to engineering and chemistry, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kenneweg
Among Census respondents with the surname Kenneweg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kenneweg 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 Kenneweg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 9
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kenneweg
Kenneweg 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+5 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,210 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 4,210 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,178 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 Kenneweg 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 | #130,610 | #142,788 | -9.3% |
| Count | 130 | 119 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kenneweg bearers went from 130 to 119 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 12,178 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kenneweg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kenneweg?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kenneweg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kenneweg?
Kenneweg ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Kenneweg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Kenneweg.
Has Kenneweg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kenneweg went from 130 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kenneweg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kenneweg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Kenneweg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kenneweg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (7.6%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Kenneweg (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 Kenneweg mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a town or place with the same name. 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 Kenneweg (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 have the surname Kenneweg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.