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

Kiel, 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 Kiel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kiel in America

Kiel is the 6583rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kiel surname appeared 5,146 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Kiel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kiel 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 Kiel

The surname KIEL is of German origin, derived from the Old Low German word "kil," meaning "channel" or "strait." It is believed to have originated in the city of Kiel, located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which is situated at the head of a fjord on the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KIEL can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century. The name was likely adopted by individuals who resided near or worked in proximity to the waterways and channels around the city of Kiel.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname KIEL was Johannes Kiel (c. 1550-1616), a German composer and organist who served as the director of music at the court of Gottorp in Schleswig-Holstein. His compositions for organ and choral works were widely admired during his lifetime and contributed to the development of the North German organ tradition.

Another prominent individual with the surname KIEL was Frederica Kiel (1768-1853), a German writer and poet who was born in Braunschweig. She published several collections of poetry and plays, and her work was well-received by literary circles in Germany during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

In the 19th century, Carl Friedrich Kiel (1784-1857), a German painter and engraver, gained recognition for his landscapes and architectural scenes. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden and was appointed as a court painter to the King of Saxony.

The name KIEL is also associated with the city of Kiel itself, which has been an important maritime center and naval base since the Middle Ages. The city's name is derived from the Old Norse word "kil," meaning "strait" or "fjord," reflecting its geographical location at the head of the Kieler Förde, a large fjord-like bay.

During the 20th century, one notable individual with the surname KIEL was Walter Kiel (1914-1997), a German businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Kiel Group, a successful construction and real estate company based in Hamburg. He played a significant role in the reconstruction and development of many cities in Germany after World War II.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kiel

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

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

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

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