2000
#66,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Kirchmann
A German surname derived from the words "Kirch" meaning church and "Mann" meaning man, referring to someone employed by a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 343 Americans carry the last name Kirchmann. That puts it at #70,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 999,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirchmann 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
343
1 in 999,284
Census rank
#70,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
299
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 299 bearers of the surname Kirchmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 70545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirchmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirchmann
The surname KIRCHMANN originates from Germany and is believed to have first emerged in the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Kirche," meaning church, and "Mann," meaning man, suggesting that the original bearer of this name may have lived near a church or worked in a church-related occupation.
The earliest recorded instances of the KIRCHMANN surname can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. It is likely that the name emerged independently in different areas, as it was a common practice to assign surnames based on one's occupation or place of residence.
One of the earliest documented references to the KIRCHMANN name is found in the Würzburg church records from the late 15th century, where a certain Hans KIRCHMANN is mentioned. In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg, with the entry of a Jakob KIRCHMANN, a merchant born in 1542.
During the 17th century, the KIRCHMANN surname gained prominence in the field of education. Johann KIRCHMANN (1575-1643), a German scholar and theologian, was a notable figure who served as a professor at the University of Rostock. His works on philosophy and theology were widely read and influential during his time.
In the 18th century, Johann Georg KIRCHMANN (1705-1784) was a prominent German jurist and legal scholar. He served as a professor of law at the University of Wittenberg and authored several influential works on legal theory and practice.
Moving into the 19th century, the KIRCHMANN name is associated with the German philosopher and legal theorist Julius Hermann KIRCHMANN (1802-1884). He is best known for his critique of the historical school of jurisprudence and his advocacy for a more scientific approach to legal studies.
Another notable figure with the KIRCHMANN surname is the German linguist and philologist Johann Friedrich KIRCHMANN (1811-1890). He made significant contributions to the study of Old High German and Middle High German literature.
Throughout its history, the KIRCHMANN surname has been found in various forms, including Kirchman, Kirschmann, and Kirchmeier, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirchmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirchmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirchmann 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 Kirchmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 270
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 18
- Two or more races1.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirchmann
Kirchmann 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
#69,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 284
+6 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 2,694 places
2020
#70,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
+15 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 1,375 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,476 | 278 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #69,170 | 284 | 0.10 | +6 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 2,694 places |
| 2020 | #70,545 | 299 | 0.10 | +15 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 1,375 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 Kirchmann 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 | #69,170 | #70,545 | -2.0% |
| Count | 284 | 299 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirchmann bearers went from 284 to 299 (+5.3% change). The surname moved down 1,375 positions in the national ranking, going from #69,170 to #70,545.
FAQ
Kirchmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirchmann?
Name Census estimates that about 343 living Americans carry the surname Kirchmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 999,284 residents.
How common is Kirchmann?
Kirchmann ranks #70,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 299 people with the surname Kirchmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Kirchmann.
Has Kirchmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirchmann went from 284 recorded bearers to 299. That is an increase of 15 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #69,170 to #70,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirchmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirchmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Kirchmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (270 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirchmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Kirchmann (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 Kirchmann mean?
A German surname derived from the words "Kirch" meaning church and "Mann" meaning man, referring to someone employed by a church. 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 Kirchmann (0.10 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 Kirchmann?
See how common the surname Kirchmann is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.