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

Kessler, 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 Kessler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kessler in America

Kessler is the 1216th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kessler surname appeared 29,064 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Kessler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kessler 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 Kessler

The surname Kessler originated in Germany and is derived from the Middle High German word "Kessel," which means "kettle" or "cauldron." This name was likely first adopted as an occupational name for a maker or seller of kettles and cauldrons.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Kessler can be traced back to the late 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. Historical records from this period, such as tax rolls and guild registries, often list individuals with the surname Kessler or similar spellings like Kesseler or Kesselmann.

One of the earliest known references to the name Kessler is found in a document from the Cistercian monastery in Eberbach, Germany, dated 1297, which mentions a certain Heinricus Kesselere. Another early record is from the city of Ulm in 1324, where a family named Kessler is listed among the local citizens.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Kessler began to spread beyond Germany, with people bearing this surname appearing in records from neighboring regions, including Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands. Some notable individuals from this period include Johann Kessler (1502-1574), a Swiss Protestant reformer and theologian, and Hans Kessler (c. 1400-1466), a German sculptor and woodcarver known for his work in the Ulm Minster.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kessler surname continued to be prominent in various parts of Central Europe. One notable figure from this period was Andreas Kessler (1595-1640), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. Another was Johann Kessler (1616-1692), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Strasbourg.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, as migration patterns increased, the Kessler surname began to spread more widely across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, including North America. Some notable individuals from this period include Johann Kessler (1777-1854), a German-born American teacher and author, and Johann Kessler (1820-1892), a German-born American painter and lithographer.

Other notable individuals with the surname Kessler throughout history include Harry Kessler (1868-1937), a German writer, art patron, and diplomat; Gerhard Kessler (1915-2006), a German-born American chemist and inventor; and Lew Kessler (1927-2021), an American documentary filmmaker and film distributor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kessler

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

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 Kessler 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 Kessler 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 Kessler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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