2000
#7,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,013
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Kiger
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wooden kegs or casks, derived from Middle Dutch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,382 Americans carry the last name Kiger. That puts it at #8,301 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,219 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kiger 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
4.4K
1 in 78,219
Census rank
#8,301
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,821 bearers of the surname Kiger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8301st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kiger
The surname Kiger is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Küger," which means "cooper" or "barrel-maker." This connection suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname, given to those who specialized in the craft of making barrels and other wooden containers.
In the late 16th century, a family with the surname Kiger was recorded in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the region of Franconia, Bavaria. This particular branch of the Kiger family was known for their skill in coopering, and their name became closely associated with the trade.
One of the earliest known records of the Kiger surname appears in a 1592 manuscript from the Rothenburg town archives, which mentions a certain Hans Kiger, a master cooper. This document provides valuable insight into the origins and early history of the Kiger family.
As the years passed, the Kiger name spread across various regions of Germany, with families bearing the surname settling in different areas. In the 18th century, a notable individual named Johann Kiger (1712-1789) was recorded as a respected cooper and guild member in the city of Nuremberg.
During the 19th century, the Kiger surname began to appear in historical records outside of Germany, as some families emigrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One such individual was Wilhelm Kiger (1825-1901), who left his hometown of Stuttgart and settled in Pennsylvania, United States, where he established a successful cooperage business.
Another prominent figure with the Kiger surname was Karl Kiger (1861-1935), a German inventor and engineer who patented several innovative designs for barrel-making machinery. His contributions helped modernize and streamline the coopering industry in Germany and beyond.
As the Kiger family dispersed across different regions, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged. Some alternative spellings included Küger, Kuger, and Kugger, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the families resided.
While the Kiger surname is not among the most common surnames today, it retains a rich heritage and a storied past, with its roots firmly grounded in the ancient craft of coopering and barrel-making in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiger
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kiger 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 Kiger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 3,527
- Two or more races3.0% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 29
- Black or African American0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kiger
Kiger 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
#7,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,484
+471 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 211 places
2020
#8,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,821
-663 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 872 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,640 | 4,013 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,429 | 4,484 | 1.52 | +471 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 211 places |
| 2020 | #8,301 | 3,821 | 1.28 | -663 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 872 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 Kiger 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 | #7,429 | #8,301 | -11.7% |
| Count | 4,484 | 3,821 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.28 | -15.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kiger bearers went from 4,484 to 3,821 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 872 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,429 to #8,301.
FAQ
Kiger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kiger?
Name Census estimates that about 4,382 living Americans carry the surname Kiger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,219 residents.
How common is Kiger?
Kiger ranks #8,301 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 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 3,821 people with the surname Kiger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,382), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 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 Kiger.
Has Kiger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kiger went from 4,484 recorded bearers to 3,821. That is a decrease of 663 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,429 to #8,301.
What does the Census say about the background of Kiger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Kiger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (3,527 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kiger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Kiger (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 Kiger mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wooden kegs or casks, derived from Middle Dutch. 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 Kiger (1.28 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 Kiger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.