2000
#3,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,083
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.74
Uncommon Last name
Kinder
Derived from the Middle High German word "kint" meaning "child", likely referring to a youthful person or descendant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,363 Americans carry the last name Kinder. That puts it at #3,510 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,164 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kinder 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kinder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,164
Census rank
#3,510
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,909 bearers of the surname Kinder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3510th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinder, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kinder
The surname Kinder originated in Germany, derived from the German word "Kind" meaning "child". This name was likely first used as a nickname for someone who was young or childlike in appearance or behavior. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Johannes Kinder, a merchant who lived in the city of Cologne in the late 14th century. Records from this time period show that he was involved in the trade of textiles and spices. Another early mention of the name can be found in the 1437 tax records of the town of Esslingen, which list a Jakob Kinder as a resident.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kinder name began to spread beyond Germany, with some families migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. In 1583, a man named Hans Kinder was recorded as living in the town of Strasbourg, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire.
One notable bearer of the Kinder surname was Johann Kinder, a German composer and organist who lived from 1592 to 1668. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Protestant church music tradition in Germany.
In England, the Kinder name can be traced back to the 17th century, likely brought over by German immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Richard Kinder, who was born in London in 1624. He later became a successful merchant and was involved in the trade of goods between England and the Netherlands.
Another individual of note was Johann Wolfgang Kinder, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1715 to 1788. He was a prominent figure of the Enlightenment period and wrote extensively on topics such as ethics, politics, and aesthetics.
During the 19th century, the Kinder surname continued to spread throughout various parts of Europe and the Americas, with many families settling in areas such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kinder
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinder, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kinder 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 Kinder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 8,622
- Black or African American4.9% · 481
- Two or more races3.8% · 378
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 315
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kinder
Kinder 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
#3,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,539
+456 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.57
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#3,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,909
-630 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 3.32
Rank movement Down 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,253 | 10,083 | 3.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,391 | 10,539 | 3.57 | +456 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #3,510 | 9,909 | 3.32 | -630 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 119 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 Kinder 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 | #3,391 | #3,510 | -3.5% |
| Count | 10,539 | 9,909 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.57 | 3.32 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kinder bearers went from 10,539 to 9,909 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,391 to #3,510.
FAQ
Kinder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kinder?
Name Census estimates that about 11,363 living Americans carry the surname Kinder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,164 residents.
How common is Kinder?
Kinder ranks #3,510 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,909 people with the surname Kinder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,363), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kinder.
Has Kinder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kinder went from 10,539 recorded bearers to 9,909. That is a decrease of 630 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,391 to #3,510.
What does the Census say about the background of Kinder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kinder, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Kinder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (8,622 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kinder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Kinder (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 Kinder mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "kint" meaning "child", likely referring to a youthful person or descendant. 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 Kinder (3.32 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 Kinder?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Kinder at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.