2000
#9,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Kersten
Derived from a diminutive of the Germanic name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,510 Americans carry the last name Kersten. That puts it at #10,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,651 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kersten 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
3.5K
1 in 97,651
Census rank
#10,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,061 bearers of the surname Kersten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kersten, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kersten
The surname Kersten originated in Germany and is believed to have derived from the Old German word "Kerste," which means "Christian." This name was likely given to individuals who were among the first Christians in their community or region.
The earliest known record of the name Kersten dates back to the 12th century in the region of Saxony, Germany. It is thought to have been used as a baptismal name before becoming a hereditary surname.
In the 13th century, the name Kersten appeared in various historical records, including the Chronicles of the Teutonic Knights, which mention a knight named Kersten von Bremervörde who fought in the Prussian Crusades.
One of the earliest documented instances of the surname Kersten is found in the Liber Census Daniae, a census record from the late 13th century in Denmark. This record lists several individuals with the surname Kersten living in the town of Ribe.
Over the centuries, the surname Kersten has been subject to various spelling variations, including Kersten, Kersten, Kerstens, and Kerstener, among others. These variations often occurred due to regional dialects or transcription errors in historical records.
Notable individuals with the surname Kersten include:
1. Hans Kersten (1892-1976), a German diplomat and writer who served as the Reichskommissar for the Netherlands during World War II.
2. Felix Kersten (1898-1960), a Finnish-born masseur and confidant of Heinrich Himmler, who played a role in saving thousands of lives during the Holocaust.
3. Kurt Kersten (1891-1962), a German naval officer and author who wrote several books on naval history and strategy.
4. Joachim Kersten (1499-1584), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer who served as the superintendent of the Duchy of Pomerania.
5. Anita Kersten (born 1965), a German sprint canoer who won multiple medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships in the 1980s and 1990s.
The surname Kersten has also been associated with various place names, such as Kerstenhausen, a village in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, and Kerstenbroich, a district of the city of Erkelenz in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kersten
Among Census respondents with the surname Kersten, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kersten 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 Kersten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,849
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 92
- Two or more races2.5% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 28
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kersten
Kersten 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
#8,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,669
+537 bearers (+17.1%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Up 600 places
2020
#10,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,061
-608 bearers (-16.6%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 1,120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,520 | 3,132 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,920 | 3,669 | 1.24 | +537 bearers (+17.1%) | Up 600 places |
| 2020 | #10,040 | 3,061 | 1.02 | -608 bearers (-16.6%) | Down 1,120 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 Kersten 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 | #8,920 | #10,040 | -12.6% |
| Count | 3,669 | 3,061 | -16.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.02 | -17.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kersten bearers went from 3,669 to 3,061 (-16.6% change). The surname moved down 1,120 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,920 to #10,040.
FAQ
Kersten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kersten?
Name Census estimates that about 3,510 living Americans carry the surname Kersten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,651 residents.
How common is Kersten?
Kersten ranks #10,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,061 people with the surname Kersten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Kersten.
Has Kersten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kersten went from 3,669 recorded bearers to 3,061. That is a decrease of 608 (-16.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,920 to #10,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Kersten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kersten, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Kersten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,849 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kersten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Kersten (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 Kersten mean?
Derived from a diminutive of the Germanic name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ." 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 Kersten (1.02 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 surname Kersten?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.