2000
#19,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,286
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Kintner
A variant of the German surname Kintner, derived from the Middle High German word "kint" meaning "child."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,477 Americans carry the last name Kintner. That puts it at #20,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 232,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kintner 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
1.5K
1 in 232,061
Census rank
#20,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,288 bearers of the surname Kintner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kintner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kintner
The surname Kintner is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "kindenier," which means "child's attendant" or "nursemaid." It is believed to have originated in the 14th or 15th century in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Kintner can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg in 1436, where a certain Hans Kintner is mentioned as a resident. Another early reference is in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Peter Kintner is listed in the tax records of 1487.
In the 16th century, the Kintner family spread throughout various parts of Germany, with some members settling in the regions of Saxony and Silesia. One notable figure from this period was Johann Kintner (1525-1591), a Protestant theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Zwickau.
As the surname Kintner continued to spread, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Kintner, Kintener, Kintener, and Kindtner. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Kintner family migrated to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania. One of the earliest known Kintners in America was Jacob Kintner (1710-1785), who arrived in Philadelphia in 1732 and later became a prominent farmer and landowner in Lancaster County.
Another notable Kintner was William Kintner (1753-1835), a Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania who fought in several battles, including the Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Yorktown. He later served as a justice of the peace and was involved in local politics.
In the 19th century, the Kintner surname continued to spread across various parts of the United States, with families settling in states such as Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. One prominent figure from this era was John Kintner (1822-1890), a successful businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Kintner Manufacturing Company in Troy, Ohio, which produced agricultural implements.
Throughout its history, the surname Kintner has been associated with various occupations, including farming, education, business, and the military. While not an extremely common surname, it has left its mark in various parts of the world, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kintner
Among Census respondents with the surname Kintner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kintner 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 Kintner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,179
- Two or more races4.2% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 7
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kintner
Kintner 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
#20,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,276
-10 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 1,282 places
2020
#20,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,288
+12 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,445 | 1,286 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,727 | 1,276 | 0.43 | -10 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 1,282 places |
| 2020 | #20,789 | 1,288 | 0.43 | +12 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 62 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 Kintner 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 | #20,727 | #20,789 | -0.3% |
| Count | 1,276 | 1,288 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.43 | 0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kintner bearers went from 1,276 to 1,288 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,727 to #20,789.
FAQ
Kintner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kintner?
Name Census estimates that about 1,477 living Americans carry the surname Kintner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 232,061 residents.
How common is Kintner?
Kintner ranks #20,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,288 people with the surname Kintner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Kintner.
Has Kintner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kintner went from 1,276 recorded bearers to 1,288. That is an increase of 12 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,727 to #20,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Kintner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kintner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (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 Kintner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,179 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kintner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (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 Kintner (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 Kintner mean?
A variant of the German surname Kintner, derived from the Middle High German word "kint" meaning "child." 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 Kintner (0.43 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 are called Kintner?
Want to know how many people have the last name Kintner? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.