Find out how popular the last name Kist is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kist.

Kist, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kist in America

Kist is the 19527th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kist surname appeared 1,383 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kist to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kist

The surname KIST originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle Low German word "kiste," meaning "chest" or "box," likely referring to a carpenter or woodworker by trade.

One of the earliest documented instances of the KIST surname can be found in the church records of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, where a certain Hans Kist was mentioned in 1572. Similarly, the baptismal records of Cologne, Germany, list a Maria Kist in 1598.

The KIST name has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Kisten in Bavaria and Kistenburg in Saxony-Anhalt. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname, including Kiste, Kister, and Kistner.

Historically, the KIST surname has been linked to several notable individuals. Johannes Kist (1596-1644) was a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig. Another prominent figure was Johann Baptist von Kist (1711-1786), a German architect and master builder who designed several churches and palaces in the Baroque style.

In the 19th century, Johann Friedrich Kist (1775-1856) was a German Protestant theologian and writer who authored numerous works on church history and biblical criticism. Additionally, Johann Kist (1832-1902) was a German-born American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1893 to 1897.

Moving into the 20th century, Hans-Eckardt Kist (1919-2002) was a German fighter pilot during World War II and later became a successful businessman after the war. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his military service.

While the KIST surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, through immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kist

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kist.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kist was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kist has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kist was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kist, please contact us.

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