2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kirisits
A surname of Serbian origin possibly relating to farming or winegrowing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Kirisits. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirisits 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Kirisits in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirisits, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirisits
The surname Kirisits has its origins in Austria and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Slovenian word "kiris," which means "a cross" or "a crucifix." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a landmark with a cross or crucifix, or someone who was involved in the production or sale of religious items.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kirisits appears in the Carinthian census of 1569, where a certain Mathias Kirisits is mentioned as a resident of the village of Völkermarkt. The name also appears in various church records and land registries from the 17th and 18th centuries in the regions of Carinthia and Styria, which were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kirisits was often spelled in different ways, such as Kyrysytsch, Kyrißits, and Kyrissits, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common in that era. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Johann Kirisits (1620-1688), a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Wolfsberg, and Maria Kirisits (1699-1772), a renowned embroiderer whose works can be found in various churches and monasteries in Carinthia.
In the 19th century, the name Kirisits became more widely known due to the achievements of several notable individuals. One such person was Josef Kirisits (1812-1892), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Vienna and other parts of Austria. Another notable figure was Maximilian Kirisits (1856-1932), a celebrated painter and art teacher who played a significant role in the development of the Austrian Impressionist movement.
Other notable bearers of the surname Kirisits include Franz Kirisits (1890-1967), a respected linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Slavic languages, and Hilda Kirisits (1920-2008), a pioneering female pilot and aviation instructor who flew for the Austrian Air Force during World War II.
Throughout its history, the surname Kirisits has maintained a strong presence in Austria and parts of neighboring countries with Slovenian and Croatian populations. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark in various fields, from art and architecture to aviation and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirisits
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirisits, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirisits 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 Kirisits surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 100
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirisits
Kirisits 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+12 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,183 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 3,183 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,682 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 Kirisits 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 | #147,253 | #150,935 | -2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 108 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirisits bearers went from 112 to 108 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,935.
FAQ
Kirisits surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirisits?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Kirisits. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Kirisits?
Kirisits ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Kirisits. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Kirisits.
Has Kirisits become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirisits went from 112 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirisits?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirisits, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Kirisits in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirisits appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Kirisits (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 Kirisits mean?
A surname of Serbian origin possibly relating to farming or winegrowing. 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 Kirisits (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 Kirisits?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.