2000
#5,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,291
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Kieffer
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kuofe," meaning a barrel or cask maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,211 Americans carry the last name Kieffer. That puts it at #5,353 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,532 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kieffer 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
7.2K
1 in 47,532
Census rank
#5,353
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,288 bearers of the surname Kieffer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5353rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kieffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kieffer
The surname Kieffer originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "kuofer," which means "cooper" or "barrel maker." The Kieffer name is thought to have originated as an occupational surname for those who made or sold wooden barrels and casks.
In medieval times, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Küfer, Kyffer, and Kiefer. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the city of Cologne, dated 1275, which mentions a "Johannes Kieffer."
The Kieffer surname is particularly associated with the Rhineland region of Germany, where many families with this name lived for centuries. In the 16th century, a prominent Kieffer family resided in the town of Boppard, and their name appears in local records from that era.
One notable individual with the Kieffer name was Johann Kieffer (1616-1689), a German author and educator who wrote several books on philosophy and theology. He was born in Worms and served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.
Another historical figure with this surname was Peter Kieffer (1790-1858), a German-American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 1830s. He was born in Bingen, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1819.
In the 19th century, the Kieffer name became more widespread in France, particularly in the Alsace region, which had been part of Germany until the late 17th century. One notable French Kieffer was Auguste Kieffer (1857-1925), a renowned mycologist and botanist who studied fungi and published numerous works on the subject.
Another individual of note was Victor Kieffer (1898-1988), a French architect and urban planner who was influential in the development of modern urban planning concepts. He was born in Strasbourg and worked on various projects in France and abroad.
Finally, a more recent figure with the Kieffer surname was John Kieffer (1933-2021), an American businessman and philanthropist. He was born in Philadelphia and made his fortune in the telecommunications industry, later becoming a prominent donor to various educational and cultural institutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kieffer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kieffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kieffer 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 Kieffer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 5,765
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 217
- Two or more races2.2% · 141
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 44
- Black or African American0.7% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kieffer
Kieffer 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
#5,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,656
+365 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#5,353
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,288
-368 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,118 | 6,291 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,241 | 6,656 | 2.26 | +365 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #5,353 | 6,288 | 2.10 | -368 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 112 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 Kieffer 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 | #5,241 | #5,353 | -2.1% |
| Count | 6,656 | 6,288 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.10 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kieffer bearers went from 6,656 to 6,288 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,241 to #5,353.
FAQ
Kieffer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kieffer?
Name Census estimates that about 7,211 living Americans carry the surname Kieffer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,532 residents.
How common is Kieffer?
Kieffer ranks #5,353 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,288 people with the surname Kieffer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,211), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kieffer.
Has Kieffer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kieffer went from 6,656 recorded bearers to 6,288. That is a decrease of 368 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,241 to #5,353.
What does the Census say about the background of Kieffer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kieffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kieffer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (5,765 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kieffer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kieffer (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 Kieffer mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kuofe," meaning a barrel or cask maker. 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 Kieffer (2.10 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 share the surname Kieffer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.