2000
#13,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Keppler
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of cloaks or coats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,149 Americans carry the last name Keppler. That puts it at #15,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Keppler 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
2.1K
1 in 159,495
Census rank
#15,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,874 bearers of the surname Keppler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Keppler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Keppler
The surname Keppler is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Keppel," which means "little cape" or "small headland." This suggests that the name may have originated from a geographical location or a topographical feature in Germany.
Keppler is believed to have first emerged in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval records and documents from these regions, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest known references to the name Keppler can be found in the Heidelberg Manuscript, a collection of legal documents and records from the city of Heidelberg, dated around 1350. The manuscript mentions a certain "Johannes Keppler" who was a landowner and merchant in the region.
Another historical figure bearing the Keppler surname was Friedrich Keppler, a renowned scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century. He was born in Nuremberg in 1425 and became a professor at the University of Heidelberg, where he made significant contributions to the fields of philosophy and theology.
In the 16th century, the name Keppler gained further prominence with the birth of Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), the renowned German astronomer and mathematician. Kepler is best known for his groundbreaking work on planetary motion and the formulation of the three laws of planetary motion, which laid the foundation for Isaac Newton's theory of gravitation.
Other notable individuals with the Keppler surname include:
1. Wilhelm Keppler (1828-1894), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and historical scenes.
2. Erwin Keppler (1901-1972), a German politician and member of the Nazi Party during World War II.
3. Herbert Keppler (1925-2008), a German filmmaker and director known for his work in the East German film industry.
4. Theodor Keppler (1904-1979), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Frankfurt after World War II.
5. Hildegard Keppler (1904-1996), a German operatic soprano and voice teacher who performed extensively in Europe and the United States.
While the Keppler surname has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the historical roots and earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the medieval era in southern Germany, where it was likely derived from a topographical feature or place name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Keppler
Among Census respondents with the surname Keppler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Keppler 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 Keppler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,717
- Two or more races3.6% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Keppler
Keppler 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
#11,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,820
+760 bearers (+36.9%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 2,321 places
2020
#15,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,874
-946 bearers (-33.5%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 3,902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,530 | 2,060 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,209 | 2,820 | 0.96 | +760 bearers (+36.9%) | Up 2,321 places |
| 2020 | #15,111 | 1,874 | 0.63 | -946 bearers (-33.5%) | Down 3,902 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 Keppler 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 | #11,209 | #15,111 | -34.8% |
| Count | 2,820 | 1,874 | -33.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.63 | -34.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Keppler bearers went from 2,820 to 1,874 (-33.5% change). The surname moved down 3,902 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,209 to #15,111.
FAQ
Keppler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Keppler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,149 living Americans carry the surname Keppler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,495 residents.
How common is Keppler?
Keppler ranks #15,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,874 people with the surname Keppler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Keppler.
Has Keppler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Keppler went from 2,820 recorded bearers to 1,874. That is a decrease of 946 (-33.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,209 to #15,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Keppler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Keppler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Keppler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,717 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Keppler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Keppler (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 Keppler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of cloaks or coats. 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 Keppler (0.63 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 are called Keppler?
See how many people have the surname Keppler on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.