2000
#83,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 209
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Kepper
An occupational surname derived from the word "keeper," likely referring to a keeper or custodian of some kind.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 229 Americans carry the last name Kepper. That puts it at #97,359 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,496,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kepper 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
229
1 in 1,496,744
Census rank
#97,359
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
200
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 200 bearers of the surname Kepper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97359th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kepper
The surname KEPPER has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "kupper," which means "coppersmith" or "copper worker." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in the copper trade or metalworking industry.
The name KEPPER was first recorded in the town of Bamberg, Bavaria, in the early 1500s. It is thought to have spread throughout the region as families migrated and settled in different areas. Some variations of the spelling include Kepper, Keper, and Küpper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KEPPER can be found in the parish records of St. Michael's Church in Bamberg, where a certain Hans Kepper was listed as a resident in 1531. Another notable early reference is in the town archives of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Jakob Kepper is mentioned in a trade document from 1567.
In the 17th century, the name KEPPER appears in various historical records across Germany. For instance, a farmer named Christoph Kepper is listed in the land registry of Kirchheim unter Teck in 1632. Additionally, a soldier named Johann Kepper is recorded as having served in the Thirty Years' War between 1618 and 1648.
One of the earliest and most prominent individuals with the surname KEPPER was Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), the renowned German astronomer and mathematician. Although the spelling of his surname differs slightly from KEPPER, it is believed to have a similar origin and meaning.
Other notable individuals with the surname KEPPER include:
1. Friedrich Kepper (1833-1899), a German architect and urban planner responsible for designing various buildings and public spaces in Berlin.
2. Christoph Kepper (1793-1869), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and cityscapes.
3. Hans Kepper (1878-1945), a German businessman and industrialist who owned textile factories in Saxony.
4. Gerhard Kepper (1909-1991), a German writer and poet who was part of the literary movement known as "Innere Emigration" during the Nazi regime.
5. Wilhelm Kepper (1856-1923), a German botanist and professor at the University of Tübingen, known for his research on plant physiology and ecology.
While the surname KEPPER may have evolved and spread to other regions over time, its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking areas of Central Europe, where it was likely first adopted by those involved in the copper trade or metalworking professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kepper
Among Census respondents with the surname Kepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kepper 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 Kepper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 5
- Two or more races2.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kepper
Kepper 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
#105,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
-40 bearers (-19.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 21,982 places
2020
#97,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
+31 bearers (+18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 8,241 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,618 | 209 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #105,600 | 169 | 0.06 | -40 bearers (-19.1%) | Down 21,982 places |
| 2020 | #97,359 | 200 | 0.07 | +31 bearers (+18.3%) | Up 8,241 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 Kepper 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 | #105,600 | #97,359 | 7.8% |
| Count | 169 | 200 | 18.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kepper bearers went from 169 to 200 (+18.3% change). The surname moved up 8,241 positions in the national ranking, going from #105,600 to #97,359.
FAQ
Kepper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kepper?
Name Census estimates that about 229 living Americans carry the surname Kepper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,496,744 residents.
How common is Kepper?
Kepper ranks #97,359 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 200 people with the surname Kepper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Kepper.
Has Kepper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kepper went from 169 recorded bearers to 200. That is an increase of 31 (+18.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #105,600 to #97,359.
What does the Census say about the background of Kepper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Kepper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (189 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kepper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Kepper (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 Kepper mean?
An occupational surname derived from the word "keeper," likely referring to a keeper or custodian of some kind. 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 Kepper (0.07 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 Kepper?
If you just want to know how common the surname Kepper is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.