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

Kiest, 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 Kiest surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kiest in America

Kiest is the 126765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kiest surname appeared 135 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 Kiest.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kiest 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 Kiest

The surname KIEST is of German origin, with its earliest known recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Old German word "Kies," which means "gravel" or "pebble." This suggests that the name was likely initially given as a descriptive name to someone who lived near a gravel pit or worked with gravel.

The name KIEST was most prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it first emerged. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 1598 church register from the town of Neustadt an der Aisch in Bavaria, where a certain Johannes Kiest was listed as a resident.

In the 17th century, the name began to spread more widely across Germany, with records showing families with the KIEST surname in cities like Leipzig and Dresden. During this period, variations in spelling also emerged, with forms like "Kießt" and "Kieß" appearing in official documents.

One notable figure bearing the KIEST surname was Johann Kiest, a German theologian and educator who lived from 1621 to 1696. He served as the rector of the prestigious St. Thomas School in Leipzig and was known for his influential works on theology and pedagogy.

Another historical figure was Carl Wilhelm Kiest, a German merchant and entrepreneur who lived from 1765 to 1838. He founded a successful trading company in Hamburg and was instrumental in establishing trade routes between Germany and the Caribbean.

In the 19th century, the KIEST surname began to appear in records outside of Germany as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was August Kiest, a German-born painter who lived from 1842 to 1918 and gained recognition for his landscapes and genre scenes in the United States.

Similarly, Franz Kiest, a German-American architect born in 1856, left his mark on the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he designed several notable buildings, including the Pabst Mansion and the Pfister Hotel.

Another prominent figure was Paul Kiest, a German-American engineer and inventor who lived from 1875 to 1944. He held numerous patents for his innovations in the field of industrial machinery and was instrumental in the development of early automated assembly lines.

While the surname KIEST is not as common today as some other German names, it continues to be found in various parts of the world, carrying with it a rich history and connection to its Germanic roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kiest

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

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

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

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