2000
#1,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,869
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.70
Uncommon Last name
Kessler
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of copper cooking vessels or cauldrons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,171 Americans carry the last name Kessler. That puts it at #1,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,654 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kessler 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 Kessler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,654
Census rank
#1,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,055 bearers of the surname Kessler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kessler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kessler
Among Census respondents with the surname Kessler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kessler 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 Kessler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 25,966
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 882
- Two or more races2.5% · 711
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 205
- Black or African American0.7% · 192
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 99
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kessler
Kessler 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
#1,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,064
+195 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 9.85
Rank movement Down 104 places
2020
#1,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,055
-1,009 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 9.39
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,112 | 28,869 | 10.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,216 | 29,064 | 9.85 | +195 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 104 places |
| 2020 | #1,231 | 28,055 | 9.39 | -1,009 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 15 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 Kessler 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 | #1,216 | #1,231 | -1.2% |
| Count | 29,064 | 28,055 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 9.85 | 9.39 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kessler bearers went from 29,064 to 28,055 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,216 to #1,231.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kessler
FAQ
Kessler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kessler?
Name Census estimates that about 32,171 living Americans carry the surname Kessler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,654 residents.
How common is Kessler?
Kessler ranks #1,231 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.39 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 28,055 people with the surname Kessler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.39 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 Kessler.
Has Kessler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kessler went from 29,064 recorded bearers to 28,055. That is a decrease of 1,009 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,216 to #1,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Kessler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kessler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) 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 Kessler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (25,966 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kessler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), 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 Kessler (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 Kessler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of copper cooking vessels or cauldrons. 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 Kessler (9.39 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 are called Kessler?
You can see how many people are called Kessler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.