2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kielblock
A surname of German origin possibly referring to a wooden barrier or gate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Kielblock. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kielblock 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Kielblock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kielblock, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kielblock
The surname Kielblock has its origins in Germany, with roots that can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of the country, particularly in the areas that now comprise the states of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
The name Kielblock is derived from two Old Germanic words: "kiel," which meant "keel" or "ship's hull," and "block," which referred to a large, solid block of wood. This combination suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in shipbuilding or maritime activities, possibly referring to those who crafted the keel blocks used in shipyards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kielblock can be found in the church records of the town of Lübeck, a prominent trading port in northern Germany, dating back to the mid-16th century. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the coastal regions and port cities of the region, lending credence to its maritime connections.
Notably, the Kielblock surname was mentioned in the chronicles of the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in northern Europe. This association suggests that some individuals bearing this name may have been involved in the lucrative maritime trade of the era.
Among the notable historical figures who carried the Kielblock surname was Johann Kielblock (1616-1699), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. Another prominent figure was Friederike Kielblock (1752-1819), a German writer and translator known for her works on education and children's literature.
Other noteworthy individuals include Karl Kielblock (1819-1893), a German businessman and philanthropist who established several charitable foundations in his hometown of Hamburg, and Friedrich Kielblock (1865-1942), a German architect renowned for his work on various public buildings and churches in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the exact origins and earliest bearers of the Kielblock surname may be lost to history, its ties to the maritime traditions and shipbuilding industries of northern Germany remain an intriguing aspect of its etymology and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kielblock
Among Census respondents with the surname Kielblock, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kielblock 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 Kielblock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kielblock
Kielblock 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,212 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-11 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,449 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,212 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 9,449 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 Kielblock 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 | #144,141 | #153,590 | -6.6% |
| Count | 115 | 104 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kielblock bearers went from 115 to 104 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 9,449 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #153,590.
FAQ
Kielblock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kielblock?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Kielblock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Kielblock?
Kielblock ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Kielblock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kielblock.
Has Kielblock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kielblock went from 115 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Kielblock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kielblock, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Kielblock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kielblock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Kielblock (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 Kielblock mean?
A surname of German origin possibly referring to a wooden barrier or gate. 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 Kielblock (0.03 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 Kielblock?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.