Find out how popular the last name Kephart is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kephart.

Kephart, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kephart surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kephart in America

Kephart is the 6330th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kephart surname appeared 5,390 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Kephart.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kephart to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kephart

The surname Kephart is of German origin, and its earliest recorded use can be traced back to the 16th century in the region of Bavaria. The name is believed to have derived from the Middle High German words "kepfen," meaning "to bend or curve," and "hart," meaning "hardy" or "strong." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone with a sturdy, resilient character or a person who worked with bending or shaping materials.

The name Kephart has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Kepphart, Kepharte, and Kephert. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town records and church registers from the 1500s and 1600s, indicating that the name was well-established in that region during that time period.

One notable early record of the name Kephart comes from the 1630s, when a Johann Kephart was listed as a landowner in the village of Obermurach, near the town of Schongau in Bavaria. Another early documented instance of the name is from the late 17th century, when a Hans Kephart was recorded as a master craftsman in the city of Nuremberg.

As the centuries progressed, the Kephart name spread beyond Bavaria to other parts of Germany and eventually to other countries as well. In the 18th century, a family by the name of Kephart settled in the German-speaking region of Pennsylvania, United States, where the name has remained prevalent to this day.

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Kephart have achieved notable accomplishments. One example is Johann Kephart (1777-1847), a German-born American farmer and landowner who served as a captain in the Pennsylvania Militia during the War of 1812. Another notable figure was William Rufus Kephart (1868-1962), an American forester and conservationist who played a significant role in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Other individuals of note include:

1. Horace Kephart (1862-1931), an American writer and librarian, best known for his writings about the Great Smoky Mountains region.
2. Calvin Kephart (1840-1918), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and later a prominent businessman in Pennsylvania.
3. George Kephart (1875-1952), an American baseball player who played for several Major League Baseball teams in the early 20th century.
4. Caleb Kephart (1791-1868), a pioneer settler and farmer in Ohio, who helped establish one of the first Methodist churches in the state.
5. Judith Kephart (born 1943), an American author and educator, known for her books on writing and teaching writing.

The surname Kephart has a rich history, with its roots firmly planted in the German-speaking regions of Europe and a legacy that has spread to various parts of the world, particularly North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kephart

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kephart.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kephart was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kephart has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kephart was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kephart, please contact us.

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