Find out how popular the last name Kerzner is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kerzner.

Kerzner, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kerzner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kerzner in America

Kerzner is the 52482nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kerzner surname appeared 395 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kerzner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kerzner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kerzner

The surname KERZNER is of Jewish origin, originating in the Middle Ages from the German and Yiddish languages. It is derived from the German word "Kerze," meaning candle, and the suffix "-ner," indicating an occupational name. This suggests that the name originally referred to a candlemaker or someone involved in the production or trade of candles.

KERZNER is believed to have first emerged in the German-speaking regions of Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in areas with significant Jewish populations. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Krakow, Poland, where a certain Abraham Kerzner was listed in a tax register from the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the KERZNER surname appeared in various records across Germany, including the city of Frankfurt, where a merchant named Samuel Kerzner was mentioned in a trade document from 1578. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled differently, such as "Kerzner" or "Kerzener," reflecting regional variations in language and spelling conventions.

As the Jewish population dispersed throughout Europe due to persecution and economic opportunities, the KERZNER name spread to other regions. In the late 17th century, a Rabbi named Yitzchak Kerzner was known to have lived in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands, where he published several works on Jewish law and philosophy.

One of the earliest notable figures with the KERZNER surname was Solomon Kerzner, a prominent rabbi and scholar who lived in the late 18th century in the town of Bialystok, Poland (now part of Belarus). He authored several influential works on Jewish law and ethics, including "Sefer HaKerzen" (Book of the Candles), which may have been a reference to his surname.

In the 19th century, the KERZNER name appeared in various parts of Europe, including Russia, where a family of merchants bearing the name was documented in the city of Odessa. Another notable figure from this era was Isaac Kerzner, a Polish-born author and journalist who wrote extensively on Jewish culture and literature in the late 1800s.

As the KERZNER family migrated to different parts of the world, the name continued to be carried on by various individuals. For example, in the early 20th century, a South African businessman named Sol Kerzner (1935-2020) built a successful hotel and resort empire, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the global hospitality industry.

Overall, the surname KERZNER has a rich history rooted in the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe, reflecting the occupational origins of candlemaking and the linguistic influences of German and Yiddish. While the name has spread globally over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the German-speaking regions of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kerzner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kerzner.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kerzner was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kerzner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kerzner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kerzner, please contact us.

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