2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kirtner
A German surname derived from the word "kirchner" meaning a sexton or church officer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Kirtner. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirtner 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Kirtner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirtner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirtner
The surname Kirtner is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old German word "kirten," which means "to spin" or "to turn." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation, such as a spinner or a turner of wood or metal.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kirtner can be found in various German parish records and census documents from the 1500s and 1600s. It was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where many families with this surname lived and worked.
One notable historical reference to the name Kirtner comes from the archives of the city of Nuremberg, where a record from 1587 mentions a certain Johannes Kirtner, a master woodturner who was commissioned to create intricate wooden carvings for the city's churches and public buildings.
In the 18th century, the name Kirtner began to spread beyond Germany as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One of the earliest known Kirtners to arrive in North America was Hans Kirtner, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1732, having fled religious persecution in his native Saxony.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kirtner was Johann Friedrich Kirtner, a renowned German clockmaker who lived from 1723 to 1798. His exquisitely crafted clocks and timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of his time.
As the centuries passed, the Kirtner name continued to be carried by individuals in various professions and walks of life. One such individual was August Kirtner, a German-born artist and painter who lived from 1868 to 1942 and was known for his landscape and portrait works.
In the 20th century, a prominent figure with the surname Kirtner was Hans-Joachim Kirtner, a German businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the post-World War II reconstruction efforts in his country. He lived from 1903 to 1978 and was recognized for his contributions to the German economy and society.
While the origins of the Kirtner surname can be traced back to medieval Germany, it has since been carried by individuals across the globe, each with their own unique stories and contributions to the diverse tapestry of human history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirtner
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirtner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirtner 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 Kirtner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 101
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirtner
Kirtner 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,416 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-8 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,508 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 1,416 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 8,508 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 Kirtner 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 | #140,157 | #148,665 | -6.1% |
| Count | 119 | 111 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirtner bearers went from 119 to 111 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 8,508 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #148,665.
FAQ
Kirtner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirtner?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Kirtner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Kirtner?
Kirtner ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Kirtner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Kirtner.
Has Kirtner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirtner went from 119 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirtner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirtner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Kirtner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirtner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Black (1.8%). 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 Kirtner (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 Kirtner mean?
A German surname derived from the word "kirchner" meaning a sexton or church officer. 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 Kirtner (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 are called Kirtner?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Kirtner at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.