2000
#1,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,693
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.56
Uncommon Last name
Kiser
Derived from the German word "Kaiser," meaning "emperor," possibly referring to someone who served in the emperor's court.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,548 Americans carry the last name Kiser. That puts it at #2,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,534 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kiser 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
20K
1 in 17,534
Census rank
#2,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,047 bearers of the surname Kiser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kiser
The surname Kiser has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Kaiser," which means "emperor" or "ruler." The name likely referred to someone who worked in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor or a local noble ruler.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name was spelled "Keiser" or "Keyser," which were more direct translations from the German word. Over time, the spelling evolved to "Kiser," especially as the name spread to other regions and countries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Kiser, a farmer who lived in the village of Oberkirchen, near Frankfurt, in the late 1500s. Records from the village church mention him and his family.
The Kiser name also appears in the Palatine German immigration records from the early 18th century, when many German families emigrated to the British colonies in North America. One such immigrant was Hans Peter Kiser, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1738.
In the United States, the name Kiser has a strong presence in Pennsylvania, where many of the early German immigrants settled. One notable bearer of the name was John Kiser, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and was later awarded a land grant in Pennsylvania in recognition of his service.
Another prominent figure with the Kiser surname was William Kiser (1809-1888), a businessman and politician from Ohio. He served as a member of the Ohio State Senate and was involved in various business ventures, including banking and railroad construction.
In more recent history, there have been several authors and writers with the surname Kiser. These include Barbara Kiser (1916-1990), an American novelist and short story writer, and Amanda Kiser (born 1976), an American author of young adult fiction.
Overall, the surname Kiser has a rich history that can be traced back to its German roots and the meaning of "emperor" or "ruler." It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, soldiers, politicians, and writers, across several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiser
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kiser 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 Kiser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 15,083
- Black or African American4.4% · 744
- Two or more races3.5% · 589
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 426
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 101
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kiser
Kiser 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
#1,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,674
+981 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 6.33
Rank movement Down 69 places
2020
#2,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,047
-1,627 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 5.70
Rank movement Down 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,865 | 17,693 | 6.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,934 | 18,674 | 6.33 | +981 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 69 places |
| 2020 | #2,069 | 17,047 | 5.70 | -1,627 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 135 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 Kiser 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 | #1,934 | #2,069 | -7.0% |
| Count | 18,674 | 17,047 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.33 | 5.70 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kiser bearers went from 18,674 to 17,047 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,934 to #2,069.
FAQ
Kiser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kiser?
Name Census estimates that about 19,548 living Americans carry the surname Kiser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,534 residents.
How common is Kiser?
Kiser ranks #2,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,047 people with the surname Kiser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,548), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Kiser.
Has Kiser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kiser went from 18,674 recorded bearers to 17,047. That is a decrease of 1,627 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,934 to #2,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Kiser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Kiser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (15,083 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kiser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Kiser (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 Kiser mean?
Derived from the German word "Kaiser," meaning "emperor," possibly referring to someone who served in the emperor's court. 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 Kiser (5.70 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 Kiser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.