Find out how popular the last name Kirst is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kirst.

Kirst, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kirst surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kirst in America

Kirst is the 17072nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kirst surname appeared 1,663 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kirst.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kirst to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kirst

The surname Kirst originated in Germany, with its roots tracing back to the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Kyritz, a town in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. The name may have evolved from the Old German word "Kirche," meaning "church," suggesting a connection to a specific church or religious establishment in the area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kirst surname can be found in the town records of Kyritz itself, dating back to the 16th century. The name was also mentioned in various historical documents from the region, such as parish registers and legal records. However, it is unlikely that the name appeared in renowned historical manuscripts like the Domesday Book, as that was a record specific to England and predated the emergence of the Kirst surname in Germany.

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Kirst name was Johann Kirst (1613-1667), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious matters. During the same period, the Kirst family established themselves as prominent landowners and merchants in the town of Kyritz and its surrounding areas.

The 18th century saw the spread of the Kirst surname beyond the borders of Germany, with families migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Wilhelm Kirst (1738-1812), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania, USA, and became a successful farmer and landowner.

In the 19th century, the name gained further prominence with the birth of the German painter Wilhelm Kirst (1823-1897), known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in Germany. Another notable figure was Friedrich Kirst (1861-1938), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Kirst Manufacturing Company, which specialized in producing machinery and equipment for the textile industry.

Moving into the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the Kirst surname was Gerhard Kirst (1902-1989), a German military officer who served in both World Wars and later became a respected military historian and author. Additionally, Peter Kirst (1917-2005), an American author and journalist, gained recognition for his novels and non-fiction works exploring themes of social justice and human rights.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kirst

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kirst.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kirst was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kirst has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kirst was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kirst, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!