2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kepke
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with a broad, flat head.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Kepke. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kepke 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Kepke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kepke, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kepke
The surname KEPKE is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "kepp," meaning "head" or "skull," which may have been used as a nickname for someone with a distinct head shape or hairstyle.
One of the earliest known references to the KEPKE surname is found in a church register from the village of Büttelborn, in the state of Hesse, Germany, where a Johannes Kepke was listed as a resident in 1568. The name also appeared in various other German regions during this time period, including Bavaria and Saxony.
In the 17th century, the KEPKE name began to spread across Europe, with records showing individuals with this surname in countries such as the Netherlands and Poland. One notable figure from this era was Hans Kepke, a German-born soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and later settled in the Polish city of Gdańsk, where he established a family line.
As the KEPKE family continued to grow and migrate, they began to establish roots in other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. In the late 18th century, Johann Kepke, a German immigrant, became one of the first individuals with this surname to settle in what is now the United States, establishing a farm in Pennsylvania.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the KEPKE surname made their mark in various fields. These include:
1. Wilhelm Kepke (1815-1894), a German-born painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and historical scenes.
2. Anna Kepke (1846-1922), a Polish teacher and advocate for women's education, who founded one of the first girls' schools in Warsaw.
3. Friedrich Kepke (1870-1942), a German engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of textile manufacturing.
4. Rudolf Kepke (1884-1963), an Austrian-born composer and music educator who taught at the Conservatory of Music in Vienna.
5. Helene Kepke (1907-1996), a German-born actress and theater director who performed in numerous productions across Europe during the mid-20th century.
While the KEPKE name has its roots in Germany, it has since become a part of the cultural fabric in various countries around the world, with descendants of the original bearers of this surname making significant contributions to their respective communities and societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kepke
Among Census respondents with the surname Kepke, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kepke 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 Kepke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kepke
Kepke 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
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
+12 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 709 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-28 bearers (-18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 709 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-18.8%) | Down 24,480 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 Kepke 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 | #116,829 | #141,309 | -21.0% |
| Count | 149 | 121 | -18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kepke bearers went from 149 to 121 (-18.8% change). The surname moved down 24,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #141,309.
FAQ
Kepke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kepke?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Kepke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Kepke?
Kepke ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Kepke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Kepke.
Has Kepke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kepke went from 149 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 28 (-18.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Kepke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kepke, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Kepke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kepke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (8.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Kepke (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 Kepke mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with a broad, flat head. 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 Kepke (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 Kepke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.