2000
#7,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,867
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Kissel
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of gravel or pebbles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,975 Americans carry the last name Kissel. That puts it at #9,051 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,228 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kissel 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
4.0K
1 in 86,228
Census rank
#9,051
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,466 bearers of the surname Kissel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9051st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kissel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kissel
The surname Kissel originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "Küsel," which means a small river or stream. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a stream or river.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Kissel surname is found in the church records of the town of Kassel, located in the state of Hesse, Germany. In 1573, a man named Hans Kissel was recorded as living in the town. It is possible that the name Kissel evolved from the place name Kassel, which itself is derived from the Old German word "Chassala," meaning a small river.
The Kissel surname began to spread beyond the Hesse region in the 17th and 18th centuries, as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. In 1687, a Johann Kissel was born in the town of Großalmerode, located in the state of Hesse.
One of the earliest known instances of the Kissel surname outside of Germany is found in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church of New Amsterdam (present-day New York City). In 1654, a man named Hendrick Kissel, who was likely of German descent, was recorded as a resident of the colony.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the Kissel surname. One of the most famous was the German author and poet Georg Kissel (1778-1834), who was known for his works on German folklore and mythology.
Another notable Kissel was the American inventor and entrepreneur William Kissel (1848-1909), who founded the Kissel Motor Car Company in Hartford, Wisconsin. The company was known for producing high-quality automobiles in the early 20th century.
In the field of science, the German chemist Wilhelm Kissel (1857-1911) made significant contributions to the study of organic chemistry and was renowned for his work on the synthesis of various organic compounds.
The Kissel surname also has a presence in the world of sports. German footballer Florian Kissel (born 1981) played as a defender for several clubs in Germany's top professional leagues.
Finally, in the realm of music, the American composer and conductor Harold Kissel (1936-2021) was known for his contributions to contemporary classical music, serving as the director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus for over three decades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kissel
Among Census respondents with the surname Kissel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kissel 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 Kissel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,222
- Two or more races3.2% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kissel
Kissel 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
#7,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,756
+889 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 891 places
2020
#9,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,466
-1,290 bearers (-27.1%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 2,009 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,933 | 3,867 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,042 | 4,756 | 1.61 | +889 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 891 places |
| 2020 | #9,051 | 3,466 | 1.16 | -1,290 bearers (-27.1%) | Down 2,009 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 Kissel 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 | #7,042 | #9,051 | -28.5% |
| Count | 4,756 | 3,466 | -27.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.16 | -28.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kissel bearers went from 4,756 to 3,466 (-27.1% change). The surname moved down 2,009 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,042 to #9,051.
FAQ
Kissel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kissel?
Name Census estimates that about 3,975 living Americans carry the surname Kissel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,228 residents.
How common is Kissel?
Kissel ranks #9,051 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,466 people with the surname Kissel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,975), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Kissel.
Has Kissel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kissel went from 4,756 recorded bearers to 3,466. That is a decrease of 1,290 (-27.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,042 to #9,051.
What does the Census say about the background of Kissel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kissel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) 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 Kissel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,222 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kissel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), 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 Kissel (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 Kissel mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of gravel or pebbles. 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 Kissel (1.16 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 have the last name Kissel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Kissel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.