2000
#95,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Kidwiler
A German surname derived from the Middle German words "kint" (child) and "wilre" (wanderer or tramp), possibly referring to an itinerant child or orphan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Kidwiler. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kidwiler 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Kidwiler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kidwiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kidwiler
The surname Kidwiler is of German origin, and is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Kiedweiler", which was the name of a small village in the Rhineland region of western Germany.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various church records and census documents from the Rhineland area during the 1600s and 1700s. Some of the earliest known people with this surname include Johannes Kidwiler, born in 1632 in the village of Kiedweiler, and his son, Peter Kidwiler, born in 1668.
As the name spread beyond its place of origin, various spelling variations emerged, including Kidwiler, Kiedweiler, Kiedwiler, and Kydwiler. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the local dialects and naming conventions of the areas where the name was adopted.
One notable individual with the surname Kidwiler was Friedrich Kidwiler, a German-born theologian and philosopher who lived in the late 18th century. He was known for his writings on moral philosophy and Christian ethics, and his work had a significant influence on the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another historically significant figure with this surname was Johann Kidwiler, a German-American farmer and landowner who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. He was among the earliest settlers in the region, and his descendants went on to establish several prosperous farming communities in the area.
In the 19th century, a number of individuals with the surname Kidwiler made their mark in various fields. For example, Gustav Kidwiler was a renowned German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities in the 1860s and 1870s.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Elizabeth Kidwiler was a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights in the late 19th century. She founded several schools for girls and worked tirelessly to promote educational opportunities for women in her community.
While the surname Kidwiler may not be as widely known as some other German names, it has a rich and fascinating history that spans several centuries and multiple continents. The name's origins in the small village of Kiedweiler, its various spelling variations, and its association with notable figures in fields ranging from philosophy to architecture, all contribute to the unique story of this enduring surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kidwiler
Among Census respondents with the surname Kidwiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kidwiler 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 Kidwiler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 115
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kidwiler
Kidwiler 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
#110,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
-18 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,258 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-38 bearers (-23.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #95,567 | 177 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,825 | 159 | 0.05 | -18 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 15,258 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -38 bearers (-23.9%) | Down 30,484 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 Kidwiler 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 | #110,825 | #141,309 | -27.5% |
| Count | 159 | 121 | -23.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kidwiler bearers went from 159 to 121 (-23.9% change). The surname moved down 30,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,825 to #141,309.
FAQ
Kidwiler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kidwiler?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Kidwiler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Kidwiler?
Kidwiler ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Kidwiler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Kidwiler.
Has Kidwiler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kidwiler went from 159 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 38 (-23.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,825 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Kidwiler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kidwiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Kidwiler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kidwiler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Black (0.8%). 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 Kidwiler (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 Kidwiler mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle German words "kint" (child) and "wilre" (wanderer or tramp), possibly referring to an itinerant child or orphan. 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 Kidwiler (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 many people have the last name Kidwiler?
Find out how many people have the surname Kidwiler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.