2000
#5,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,574
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.07
Rare Last name
Kistler
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of chests, boxes, or wooden containers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,872 Americans carry the last name Kistler. That puts it at #6,385 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,371 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kistler 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
5.9K
1 in 58,371
Census rank
#6,385
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,121 bearers of the surname Kistler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6385th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kistler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kistler
The surname Kistler originated in Germany and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Kiste," which means "chest" or "box." The name likely referred to someone who made or sold chests or boxes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kistler can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. The name was also found in various other German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Kistler appeared in various historical documents and manuscripts, such as church records and guild registers. One notable mention is in the records of the Carpenters' Guild in Augsburg, where a certain Johannes Kistler was listed as a member in the year 1598.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Kistler was Hans Kistler, a woodworker born in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, in 1472. Another early figure was Margaretha Kistler, a prominent merchant from Nuremberg, who lived from 1524 to 1589.
As the name Kistler spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, it also evolved into various spelling variations, such as Kistner, Kistener, and Kisterer. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects or regional variations.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Kistler was Johann Kistler, a renowned German architect who lived from 1665 to 1737. He was responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in Bavaria.
Another prominent figure was Karl Kistler, a German philosopher and author who lived from 1848 to 1923. He wrote extensively on topics such as ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion.
In the United States, the Kistler surname can be traced back to German immigrants who arrived in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the earliest recorded Kistlers in America was Johann Kistler, who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1740s.
A notable American Kistler was Walter E. Kistler, a chemist and engineer who lived from 1918 to 1995. He made significant contributions to the field of aerodynamics and was instrumental in the development of high-speed wind tunnels.
Overall, the surname Kistler has a rich history rooted in medieval Germany, with its origins linked to the craft of woodworking and chest-making. While the name has spread to various parts of the world, its Germanic roots and associations with craftsmanship remain an integral part of its heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kistler
Among Census respondents with the surname Kistler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kistler 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 Kistler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 4,739
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 150
- Two or more races2.8% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 53
- Black or African American0.4% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kistler
Kistler 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
#5,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,742
+1,168 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Up 520 places
2020
#6,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,121
-1,621 bearers (-24.0%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 1,200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,705 | 5,574 | 2.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,185 | 6,742 | 2.29 | +1,168 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 520 places |
| 2020 | #6,385 | 5,121 | 1.71 | -1,621 bearers (-24.0%) | Down 1,200 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 Kistler 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 | #5,185 | #6,385 | -23.1% |
| Count | 6,742 | 5,121 | -24.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.29 | 1.71 | -25.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kistler bearers went from 6,742 to 5,121 (-24.0% change). The surname moved down 1,200 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,185 to #6,385.
FAQ
Kistler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kistler?
Name Census estimates that about 5,872 living Americans carry the surname Kistler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,371 residents.
How common is Kistler?
Kistler ranks #6,385 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,121 people with the surname Kistler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,872), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kistler.
Has Kistler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kistler went from 6,742 recorded bearers to 5,121. That is a decrease of 1,621 (-24.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,185 to #6,385.
What does the Census say about the background of Kistler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kistler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Kistler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (4,739 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kistler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (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 Kistler (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 Kistler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or repairer of chests, boxes, or wooden containers. 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 Kistler (1.71 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 Kistler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.