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

Kierstead, 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 Kierstead surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kierstead in America

Kierstead is the 26086th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kierstead surname appeared 939 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kierstead.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kierstead 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 Kierstead

The surname Kierstead originated in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany, around the 16th century. It is derived from the Low German words "kier" meaning a bend or turn, and "stede" meaning a place or location. This suggests the name was likely given to families living near a bend or curve in a river or road.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in church records from the town of Itzehoe in the Duchy of Holstein, dating back to 1587, where a Hinrich Kierstedt is mentioned. Over time, the spelling evolved from Kierstedt to the more modern Kierstead.

While not found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, as it predates the origin of the surname, there are records of Kiersteads in other historical documents from the region, such as tax rolls and land deeds from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The name made its way to North America in the early 18th century, with the arrival of Kierstead immigrants from Germany and the Netherlands. One of the earliest recorded Kiersteads in the New World was Johann Kierstead, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1738.

Notable individuals throughout history bearing the Kierstead surname include:

1. Hanna Kierstead (1782-1864), a German-American pioneer who settled in upstate New York in the early 19th century.
2. James Kierstead (1812-1887), a Canadian shipbuilder and businessman from Saint John, New Brunswick.
3. William Kierstead (1861-1923), an American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly in the early 20th century.
4. Edna Kierstead (1893-1980), a Canadian artist and painter known for her landscapes and portraits.
5. Richard Kierstead (born 1952), a Canadian businessman and former CEO of several major corporations.

While the name has spread across various parts of North America and Europe, its roots can be traced back to the historical regions of northern Germany, where it originated as a locational surname indicating a place near a bend or curve.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kierstead

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

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

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

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