2000
#9,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,268
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Kisner
Derived from the German surname Kissner, an occupational name for a maker or seller of chests or boxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,655 Americans carry the last name Kisner. That puts it at #9,721 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,777 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kisner 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
3.7K
1 in 93,777
Census rank
#9,721
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,187 bearers of the surname Kisner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9721st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kisner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kisner
The surname Kisner is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Kiesen," which means "gravel" or "pebbles." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for someone who worked with gravel or stones, perhaps a mason or a quarry worker.
The earliest known record of the Kisner name dates back to the late 15th century, with a mention of a Hanns Kisner in the town records of Nürnberg, Bavaria, in 1487. Over the following centuries, various spellings of the name appeared in different regions of Germany, such as Kiesner, Kiessner, and Kiesener.
In the 16th century, the name Kisner appeared in the records of the city of Augsburg, Bavaria, with a mention of a Peter Kisner in 1562. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of the region by this time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Kisner name was Johann Kisner, a German painter and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in Nürnberg in 1571 and is known for his portraits and religious paintings.
Another notable figure with the Kisner surname was Georg Kisner, a German philosopher and theologian who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Nürnberg in 1630 and made significant contributions to the field of Protestant theology.
In the 18th century, the name Kisner appeared in records from the town of Erlangen, Bavaria, with a mention of a Johann Michael Kisner in 1735. This suggests that the name continued to be prevalent in the region during this time period.
A notable bearer of the Kisner name in the 19th century was Karl Kisner, a German composer and music teacher who lived from 1819 to 1892. He was born in Nürnberg and composed several works for piano and orchestra.
As the Kisner family spread throughout Germany and eventually to other parts of Europe and the world, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Kiesner, Kiessner, and Kiesener, as mentioned earlier. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the German word "Kiesen," referring to gravel or pebbles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kisner
Among Census respondents with the surname Kisner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kisner 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 Kisner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 2,834
- Two or more races4.5% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 112
- Black or African American2.0% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kisner
Kisner 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
#9,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,405
+137 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 374 places
2020
#9,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,187
-218 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,174 | 3,268 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,548 | 3,405 | 1.15 | +137 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 374 places |
| 2020 | #9,721 | 3,187 | 1.07 | -218 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 173 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 Kisner 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 | #9,548 | #9,721 | -1.8% |
| Count | 3,405 | 3,187 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.07 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kisner bearers went from 3,405 to 3,187 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,548 to #9,721.
FAQ
Kisner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kisner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,655 living Americans carry the surname Kisner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,777 residents.
How common is Kisner?
Kisner ranks #9,721 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,187 people with the surname Kisner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,655), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kisner.
Has Kisner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kisner went from 3,405 recorded bearers to 3,187. That is a decrease of 218 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,548 to #9,721.
What does the Census say about the background of Kisner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kisner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (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 Kisner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (2,834 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kisner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (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 Kisner (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 Kisner mean?
Derived from the German surname Kissner, an occupational name for a maker or seller of chests or boxes. 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 Kisner (1.07 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 Americans have the surname Kisner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.