2000
#11,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,623
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Kerber
A German occupational surname referring to a basket maker or a person who grows or sells carrots.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,023 Americans carry the last name Kerber. That puts it at #11,432 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,382 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kerber 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
3.0K
1 in 113,382
Census rank
#11,432
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,636 bearers of the surname Kerber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11432nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kerber
The surname Kerber is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "kerber," which referred to a person who carved or crafted wooden buckets or tubs. This occupation-based surname reflects the medieval tradition of adopting surnames based on one's profession or trade.
The earliest known record of the Kerber surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, southern Germany. Historical records from this period mention individuals with the name Kerber residing in various towns and villages across the region.
One notable historical reference to the Kerber name can be found in the "Städtebuch" (City Book) of Nuremberg, a medieval manuscript that documented the city's inhabitants and their occupations. In this record, a certain Hans Kerber is listed as a "küffer," which translates to a cooper or barrel-maker, further reinforcing the occupational origin of the surname.
During the 16th century, the Kerber surname began to spread beyond Bavaria to other parts of Germany. In 1542, a record from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber mentions a Johann Kerber, a artisan who specialized in woodworking and barrel-making.
Notable individuals with the Kerber surname throughout history include:
1. Matthias Kerber (1592-1669), a German composer and organist from Saxony.
2. Johann Kerber (1738-1810), a German writer and educator from Würzburg.
3. Wilhelm Kerber (1835-1902), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag.
4. Hans Kerber (1887-1945), a German architect known for his work in Berlin during the early 20th century.
5. Angelique Kerber (born 1988), a professional tennis player from Germany who has won several Grand Slam titles.
While the Kerber surname has ancient roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the skilled craftsmen and artisans of medieval Bavaria who specialized in woodworking and barrel-making.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kerber
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kerber 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 Kerber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,441
- Two or more races3.6% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 30
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kerber
Kerber 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
#9,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,535
+912 bearers (+34.8%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 1,884 places
2020
#11,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
-899 bearers (-25.4%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 2,211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,105 | 2,623 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,221 | 3,535 | 1.20 | +912 bearers (+34.8%) | Up 1,884 places |
| 2020 | #11,432 | 2,636 | 0.88 | -899 bearers (-25.4%) | Down 2,211 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 Kerber 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 | #9,221 | #11,432 | -24.0% |
| Count | 3,535 | 2,636 | -25.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 0.88 | -26.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kerber bearers went from 3,535 to 2,636 (-25.4% change). The surname moved down 2,211 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,221 to #11,432.
FAQ
Kerber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kerber?
Name Census estimates that about 3,023 living Americans carry the surname Kerber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,382 residents.
How common is Kerber?
Kerber ranks #11,432 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,636 people with the surname Kerber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,023), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Kerber.
Has Kerber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kerber went from 3,535 recorded bearers to 2,636. That is a decrease of 899 (-25.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,221 to #11,432.
What does the Census say about the background of Kerber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Kerber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,441 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kerber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Kerber (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 Kerber mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a basket maker or a person who grows or sells carrots. 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 Kerber (0.88 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 Kerber?
See how many people are called Kerber on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.