2000
#13,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,099
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Kepner
An occupational surname referring to a basket maker or trader, derived from the Middle High German "köpfener."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,330 Americans carry the last name Kepner. That puts it at #14,183 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kepner 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
2.3K
1 in 147,105
Census rank
#14,183
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,032 bearers of the surname Kepner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14183rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kepner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kepner
The surname Kepner is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was likely derived from the German word "Kepfner," which referred to a maker or seller of caps or hats.
During the medieval period, surnames were often derived from occupations or professions, and Kepner was no exception. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various German records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, though the spelling varied slightly, with variations such as "Kepfner," "Keppner," and "Kepner" appearing.
One of the earliest known references to the name Kepner can be found in the Nuremberg Burgravial Records, which date back to the late 13th century. These records mention a certain "Heinrich Kepfner," who was a prominent hat maker in the city of Nuremberg during that time.
As the centuries passed, the name Kepner spread throughout Germany and beyond. In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Johann Kepner, a Lutheran theologian and reformer who lived from 1505 to 1572. He was a vocal critic of the Catholic Church and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure with the surname Kepner was Anna Kepner, a German midwife who lived in the late 17th century. She is credited with pioneering techniques and practices that helped improve maternal and infant mortality rates in her region.
In the 19th century, the name Kepner gained recognition through the work of Friedrich Kepner, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1819 to 1888. His works explored topics such as ethics, metaphysics, and the nature of human consciousness.
As German immigrants began to settle in various parts of the world, the surname Kepner traveled with them. One notable example is John Kepner, an American farmer and politician who lived from 1808 to 1888. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the mid-19th century.
While the Kepner surname may have evolved over time and spread across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the skilled hat makers and artisans of medieval Germany, reflecting a rich and diverse history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kepner
Among Census respondents with the surname Kepner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kepner 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 Kepner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,896
- Two or more races2.8% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 56
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kepner
Kepner 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
#14,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,108
+9 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 908 places
2020
#14,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,032
-76 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,319 | 2,099 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,227 | 2,108 | 0.71 | +9 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 908 places |
| 2020 | #14,183 | 2,032 | 0.68 | -76 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 44 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 Kepner 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 | #14,227 | #14,183 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,108 | 2,032 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.68 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kepner bearers went from 2,108 to 2,032 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,227 to #14,183.
FAQ
Kepner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kepner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,330 living Americans carry the surname Kepner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,105 residents.
How common is Kepner?
Kepner ranks #14,183 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,032 people with the surname Kepner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,330), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kepner.
Has Kepner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kepner went from 2,108 recorded bearers to 2,032. That is a decrease of 76 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,227 to #14,183.
What does the Census say about the background of Kepner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kepner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Kepner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kepner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Kepner (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 Kepner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a basket maker or trader, derived from the Middle High German "köpfener." 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 Kepner (0.68 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 last name Kepner?
Find out how many people have the surname Kepner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.