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

Kistner, 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 Kistner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kistner in America

Kistner is the 11614th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kistner surname appeared 2,701 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kistner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kistner 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 Kistner

The surname Kistner is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "kiste," which means "chest" or "box." This suggests that the name was likely initially given to someone whose occupation involved making or selling chests or boxes.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Kistner can be found in various German historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries. For example, there is a mention of a "Hans Kistner" in the town records of Nuremberg in 1387.

In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to neighboring regions, such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable figure from this time period was Johannes Kistner, a Swiss Protestant reformer and theologian born in 1492 in Basel.

By the 17th and 18th centuries, the name had become more widespread across German-speaking territories. During this time, various spellings of the name emerged, including Kistener, Kistener, and Kystner.

One of the earliest known places associated with the name Kistner is the village of Kistnitz in Saxony, Germany. It is possible that the name originated from this location or a similar place name.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Kistner. These include:

1. Friedrich Kistner (1797-1844), a German composer and music publisher from Leipzig.
2. Gustav Kistner (1835-1900), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin.
3. Konrad Kistner (1864-1944), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.
4. Otto Kistner (1832-1904), a German painter and illustrator known for his historical and biblical scenes.
5. Max Kistner (1905-1981), a German-American physicist and engineer who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II.

While the surname Kistner is not among the most common in German-speaking regions, it has a rich history dating back several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kistner

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

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 Kistner 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 Kistner 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 Kistner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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