2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kersenbrock
A surname of German origin referring to someone from a cherry brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Kersenbrock. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kersenbrock 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Kersenbrock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kersenbrock, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kersenbrock
The surname Kersenbrock is of German origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the combination of the Low German words "Kerse" or "Kerze," meaning cherry, and "brock," meaning wooded area or thicket. This suggests that the name may have originated from a region known for its cherry orchards or groves.
One of the earliest documented references to the Kersenbrock name can be found in the records of the town of Münster, located in the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In the year 1578, a Johannes Kersenbrock was mentioned as a resident of the town, indicating that the name was already established in the region at that time.
The Kersenbrock name has also been associated with various places and localities throughout Germany. For instance, there is a village called Kersenbrock in the district of Lippe, which may have served as the source of the surname for families hailing from that area.
Historically, the Kersenbrock name has been linked to several notable individuals. In the 17th century, Hermann Kersenbrock (1591-1668) was a renowned German historian and theologian who served as the superintendent of the Principality of Halberstadt. His works, such as the "Historia Anabaptistica," provided valuable insights into the Anabaptist movement and the religious conflicts of his time.
Another prominent figure bearing the Kersenbrock name was Johann Philipp von Kersenbrock (1640-1708), a German jurist and statesman who held the position of Lord Chancellor of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. His legal expertise and contributions to the administration of the duchy earned him recognition during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, Karl Kersenbrock (1812-1876) was a notable German engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing one of the earliest successful photographic processes, known as the Kersenbrock process, which played a significant role in the advancement of early photography.
More recently, in the 20th century, Helmut Kersenbrock (1912-1992) was a German military officer who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He later became a prominent businessman and industrialist, serving as the chairman of the Kersenbrock Group, a successful engineering and manufacturing conglomerate.
Throughout its history, the Kersenbrock surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, with individuals bearing this name contributing to diverse fields such as academia, law, engineering, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kersenbrock
Among Census respondents with the surname Kersenbrock, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kersenbrock 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 Kersenbrock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kersenbrock
Kersenbrock 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,605 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-20 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,972 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 8,605 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 18,972 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 Kersenbrock 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 | #128,249 | #147,221 | -14.8% |
| Count | 133 | 113 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -24.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kersenbrock bearers went from 133 to 113 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 18,972 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #147,221.
FAQ
Kersenbrock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kersenbrock?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Kersenbrock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Kersenbrock?
Kersenbrock ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Kersenbrock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kersenbrock.
Has Kersenbrock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kersenbrock went from 133 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Kersenbrock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kersenbrock, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Kersenbrock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kersenbrock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (6.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Kersenbrock (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 Kersenbrock mean?
A surname of German origin referring to someone from a cherry brook or stream. 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 Kersenbrock (0.04 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 common is the surname Kersenbrock?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kersenbrock? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.