2000
#1,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,634
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.24
Uncommon Last name
Kern
An English occupational surname referring to someone who operated a mill or worked as a miller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,137 Americans carry the last name Kern. That puts it at #1,265 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kern 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kern with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 11,008
Census rank
#1,265
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,153 bearers of the surname Kern in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1265th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kern, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kern
The surname Kern originated in Germany and is derived from the Middle High German word "kern," meaning "seed" or "kernel." It is believed to have emerged as an occupational surname for those who worked with grains or seeds, such as millers or farmers.
In the 13th century, the name Kern was found in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. It appeared in medieval records like the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, which documented land transactions and legal agreements.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinrich Kern, a merchant from Nuremberg, who lived in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Johannes Kern, a Franciscan friar and theologian born in Memmingen, Bavaria, in 1427.
The Kern surname also had variations in spelling, such as Kerne, Kehrn, and Kehrne, which were common in different regions of Germany. Some of these variations may have derived from place names like Kernbach or Kernhofen.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with individuals like Leonhard Kern (1588-1663), a German painter and engraver from Bamberg. Another notable bearer was Johann Conrad Kern (1765-1826), a German composer and organist from Lauterbach.
As the German diaspora spread across Europe and beyond, the Kern surname travelled with them. In the 19th century, Johann Kern (1808-1888), a German-born Brazilian landowner and entrepreneur, played a significant role in the development of São Paulo.
Other notable individuals with the Kern surname include Jerome Kern (1885-1945), an American composer of musical theater and popular music; and Jacques Kern (1937-2007), a French journalist and writer who covered conflicts in various parts of the world.
The Kern surname has a rich history rooted in Germany, spanning centuries and reflecting the diverse occupations and achievements of its bearers across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kern
Among Census respondents with the surname Kern, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kern 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 Kern surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 24,550
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 835
- Two or more races3.0% · 820
- Black or African American2.2% · 585
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 272
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 91
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kern
Kern 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
#1,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,547
+913 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 9.68
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#1,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,153
-1,394 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 9.08
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,162 | 27,634 | 10.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,237 | 28,547 | 9.68 | +913 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #1,265 | 27,153 | 9.08 | -1,394 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 28 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 Kern 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 | #1,237 | #1,265 | -2.3% |
| Count | 28,547 | 27,153 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 9.68 | 9.08 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kern bearers went from 28,547 to 27,153 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,237 to #1,265.
FAQ
Kern surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kern?
Name Census estimates that about 31,137 living Americans carry the surname Kern. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,008 residents.
How common is Kern?
Kern ranks #1,265 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,153 people with the surname Kern. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Kern.
Has Kern become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kern went from 28,547 recorded bearers to 27,153. That is a decrease of 1,394 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,237 to #1,265.
What does the Census say about the background of Kern?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kern, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Kern in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (24,550 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kern appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Kern (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 Kern mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who operated a mill or worked as a miller. 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 Kern (9.08 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 Americans have the surname Kern?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.