2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kilthau
A topographic name referring to a bluff or ridge of high ground.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Kilthau. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kilthau 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Kilthau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilthau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kilthau
The surname KILTHAU has its origins in the northern region of Germany, specifically in the area around the city of Hamburg. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the 13th century, during the Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German words "kild" (meaning "source" or "spring") and "hau" (meaning "hill" or "mound"), suggesting that it may have initially referred to a person who lived near a natural spring or water source on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KILTHAU can be found in the Hamburgisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Hamburg. In this record from the year 1287, a certain "Heinrich Kilthau" is mentioned as a landowner in the nearby village of Eppendorf.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the KILTHAU name was Hans Kilthau (1420-1487), a merchant and ship owner from the port city of Lübeck. He was known for his extensive trade networks and voyages to various parts of the Baltic Sea region.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Johann Kilthau (1565-1632), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg. He was a contemporary of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
During the 17th century, a branch of the KILTHAU family settled in the town of Altona, which was then part of the Danish Kingdom but is now a district of Hamburg. One member of this family, Peter Kilthau (1624-1701), served as a mayor and magistrate in Altona and was highly respected for his civic leadership.
In the 19th century, the KILTHAU name gained further prominence with the birth of Friedrich Kilthau (1818-1892), a renowned German architect who designed several notable buildings in Hamburg, including the Rathausmarkt and the St. Petri Church.
Throughout its history, the surname KILTHAU has undergone various spelling variations, such as Kilthauw, Kilthouw, and Kilthow, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations in historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kilthau
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilthau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kilthau 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 Kilthau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kilthau
Kilthau 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,071 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,071 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,531 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 Kilthau 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 | #142,108 | #151,639 | -6.7% |
| Count | 117 | 107 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kilthau bearers went from 117 to 107 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,531 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #151,639.
FAQ
Kilthau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kilthau?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Kilthau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Kilthau?
Kilthau ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Kilthau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kilthau.
Has Kilthau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kilthau went from 117 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Kilthau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilthau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kilthau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kilthau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kilthau (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 Kilthau mean?
A topographic name referring to a bluff or ridge of high ground. 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 Kilthau (0.04 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 Kilthau?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.