2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kirchenwitz
A locational surname referring to someone from a place named Kirchenwitz.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Kirchenwitz. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirchenwitz 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Kirchenwitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirchenwitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirchenwitz
The surname "KIRCHENWITZ" has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the German words "Kirchen" meaning "church" and "Witz" meaning "wit" or "humor," potentially referring to a location or occupation associated with a church or a person known for their wit or humor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Württembergisches Klosterbuch, a register of monasteries and religious institutions in the region of Württemberg, Germany, from the year 1588. This record mentions a person named Johannes Kirchenwitz, who was likely associated with a church or monastery in the area.
In the 17th century, the name is found in various records from the region of Saxony, including the birth records of the city of Leipzig. In 1642, a child named Christoph Kirchenwitz was born to parents with the same surname, indicating the presence of a family with this name in the area.
The 18th century saw the emergence of a notable figure with the surname Kirchenwitz. Johann Gottfried Kirchenwitz (1718-1789) was a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics and served as a pastor in the town of Weissenfels in Saxony-Anhalt.
As the name spread across Germany, it took on various spellings and variations, such as Kirchenwitz, Kirchenwitz, and Kirchenwitz, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.
Another individual of note was Karl Friedrich Kirchenwitz (1796-1867), a German lawyer and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the field of civil law in the 19th century. He was born in the town of Wittenberg and served as a professor of law at the University of Leipzig.
In the 20th century, Hans Kirchenwitz (1902-1978) was a German physicist and inventor who worked on the development of radar technology during World War II. He held several patents for his innovations in the field of radio and electronics.
The surname "KIRCHENWITZ" has a rich history in Germany, with its roots dating back to the 16th century and potentially reflecting associations with church or religious institutions, as well as humor or wit. While not as widely dispersed as some other German surnames, it has been carried by notable figures in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirchenwitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirchenwitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirchenwitz 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 Kirchenwitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirchenwitz
Kirchenwitz appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,346 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 Kirchenwitz 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 | #143,149 | #146,495 | -2.3% |
| Count | 116 | 114 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirchenwitz bearers went from 116 to 114 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #146,495.
FAQ
Kirchenwitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirchenwitz?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Kirchenwitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Kirchenwitz?
Kirchenwitz ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Kirchenwitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Kirchenwitz.
Has Kirchenwitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirchenwitz went from 116 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirchenwitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirchenwitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kirchenwitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirchenwitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kirchenwitz (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 Kirchenwitz mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place named Kirchenwitz. 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 Kirchenwitz (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 Americans have the surname Kirchenwitz?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.