2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kirste
A locational German surname derived from the village name Kirsten.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Kirste. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirste 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Kirste in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirste, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirste
The surname Kirste originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "kirsche," meaning "cherry." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with people who lived near cherry orchards or who worked with cherries in some capacity.
One of the earliest known references to the Kirste name can be found in a document from the town of Cottbus, located in the state of Brandenburg, Germany, dated 1587. The document mentions a certain Hans Kirste, who was a local landowner and farmer.
In the 17th century, the Kirste name appeared in various church records and tax registers across different regions of Germany, such as Saxony, Thuringia, and Silesia. This indicates that the name had spread and become more widespread during this period.
A notable figure with the Kirste surname was Johann Kirste, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1638 to 1710. He was born in Zittau, Saxony, and later became a professor at the University of Leipzig, where he taught logic and metaphysics.
Another important individual bearing the Kirste name was Friedrich Kirste, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1828 to 1899. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and urban developments in Berlin during the late 19th century.
In the early 20th century, the Kirste surname was also found in records from the United States, suggesting that some members of the family had immigrated there from Germany. One such individual was Carl Kirste, a German-American artist and illustrator who lived from 1856 to 1939. He was known for his illustrations in various magazines and publications of the time.
Another notable person with the Kirste surname was Erich Kirste, a German military officer who served during World War II. He was born in 1909 and played a role in the Battle of Stalingrad, where he was eventually captured by Soviet forces.
Lastly, a more recent figure with the Kirste surname was Horst Kirste, a German politician who served as a member of the Bundestag (German parliament) from 1990 to 2005. He was born in 1941 and represented the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirste
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirste, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirste 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 Kirste surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirste
Kirste 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,849 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,849 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,531 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 Kirste 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 | #142,108 | #151,639 | -6.7% |
| Count | 117 | 107 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirste bearers went from 117 to 107 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,531 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #151,639.
FAQ
Kirste surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirste?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Kirste. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Kirste?
Kirste ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Kirste. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Kirste.
Has Kirste become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirste went from 117 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirste?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirste, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Kirste in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirste appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Kirste (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 Kirste mean?
A locational German surname derived from the village name Kirsten. 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 Kirste (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 Kirste?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.