2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kerkau
A surname referring to someone from the village of Kerkau in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Kerkau. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kerkau 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Kerkau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerkau, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kerkau
The surname Kerkau has its origins in the Dutch language and is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the late medieval period. The name is derived from the Dutch word "kerk," meaning church, and the suffix "-au," which indicates a geographic location or area. Therefore, Kerkau likely referred to a specific place or region near a church.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kerkau surname can be found in the Leiden Archives, a collection of historical records from the city of Leiden, Netherlands. In a document dated 1492, a merchant named Jan Kerkau is mentioned, suggesting that the name was already established in the region by the late 15th century.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, as Dutch explorers and settlers began to venture across the globe, the Kerkau name likely spread to other parts of the world. One notable figure from this era was Willem Kerkau, a Dutch navigator who participated in several expeditions to the East Indies (present-day Indonesia) between 1620 and 1640.
During the 17th century, the Kerkau surname also appeared in various records from the German states, particularly in the northern regions bordering the Netherlands. This suggests that some bearers of the name may have migrated or had familial connections to the German territories.
In the 18th century, a prominent individual with the Kerkau surname was Johann Kerkau (1710-1792), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects. His works were widely circulated and influenced theological discussions of the time.
Another notable figure was Pieter Kerkau (1785-1862), a Dutch artist known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Netherlands and surrounding areas. His works are currently held in several museums and private collections across Europe.
While the Kerkau surname may not be as widely distributed as some other Dutch or German surnames, it has maintained a presence throughout various regions of Europe and potentially beyond, as Dutch and German immigrants spread across the globe in more recent centuries. However, census data and modern records are less reliable for tracing the historical origins and significance of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kerkau
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerkau, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kerkau 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 Kerkau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kerkau
Kerkau 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 158 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,337 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 158 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 6,337 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 Kerkau 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 | #147,253 | #153,590 | -4.3% |
| Count | 112 | 104 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kerkau bearers went from 112 to 104 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 6,337 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #153,590.
FAQ
Kerkau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kerkau?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Kerkau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Kerkau?
Kerkau ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Kerkau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kerkau.
Has Kerkau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kerkau went from 112 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Kerkau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kerkau, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Kerkau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kerkau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Kerkau (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 Kerkau mean?
A surname referring to someone from the village of Kerkau in Germany. 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 Kerkau (0.03 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 Kerkau?
Want to know how common the surname Kerkau is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.