2000
#13,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,158
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Kiesel
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made or worked with gravel or pebbles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,056 Americans carry the last name Kiesel. That puts it at #15,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,709 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kiesel 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
2.1K
1 in 166,709
Census rank
#15,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,793 bearers of the surname Kiesel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiesel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kiesel
The surname "Kiesel" is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "kisel," meaning "pebble" or "gravel." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a gravel pit or worked with pebbles or gravel in some capacity.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in various forms such as "Kisel," "Kysel," and "Kiesel" in historical documents from regions like Bavaria and Saxony. These variations in spelling were common during that time period, as standardized spellings were not yet established.
In the 14th century, the name "Kiesel" is found in the records of the city of Nürnberg, where a certain "Hans Kiesel" is mentioned as a citizen. This suggests that the name had already spread and gained some prominence in urban areas by that time.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname "Kiesel" was Johann Kiesel, a German composer and organist who lived in the 16th century (c. 1530-1588). He is known for his contributions to the development of Protestant church music during the Reformation era.
Another significant person with this surname was Johann Philipp Kiesel (1671-1754), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Giessen. He published several works on theology, philosophy, and metaphysics during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the name "Kiesel" is recorded in the town of Gräfenhausen, where a family by the name of Kiesel owned a farm and vineyard. This suggests that the name had also become associated with agricultural pursuits in some regions.
One of the earliest known instances of the name in the United States is that of Johann Michael Kiesel, who immigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in the 1740s. He was among the first wave of German settlers in the colony, and his descendants continued to use the surname in subsequent generations.
Throughout its history, the surname "Kiesel" has also been associated with various place names, such as Kieselhausen (a village in Baden-Württemberg), Kieselbach (a river in Saxony), and Kieselburg (a castle ruin in Rhineland-Palatinate). These place names likely originated from the same root word and may have influenced the development of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiesel
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiesel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kiesel 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 Kiesel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,629
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 74
- Two or more races3.3% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kiesel
Kiesel 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
#10,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,913
+755 bearers (+35.0%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 2,104 places
2020
#15,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
-1,120 bearers (-38.4%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 4,756 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,028 | 2,158 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,924 | 2,913 | 0.99 | +755 bearers (+35.0%) | Up 2,104 places |
| 2020 | #15,680 | 1,793 | 0.60 | -1,120 bearers (-38.4%) | Down 4,756 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 Kiesel 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 | #10,924 | #15,680 | -43.5% |
| Count | 2,913 | 1,793 | -38.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.60 | -39.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kiesel bearers went from 2,913 to 1,793 (-38.4% change). The surname moved down 4,756 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,924 to #15,680.
FAQ
Kiesel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kiesel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,056 living Americans carry the surname Kiesel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,709 residents.
How common is Kiesel?
Kiesel ranks #15,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,793 people with the surname Kiesel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kiesel.
Has Kiesel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kiesel went from 2,913 recorded bearers to 1,793. That is a decrease of 1,120 (-38.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,924 to #15,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Kiesel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiesel, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Kiesel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,629 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kiesel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Kiesel (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 Kiesel mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who made or worked with gravel or pebbles. 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 Kiesel (0.60 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 Kiesel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Kiesel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.