2000
#10,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,741
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Kistner
Derived from the German word "Kistner," an occupational surname referring to a carpenter specializing in making chests or boxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,007 Americans carry the last name Kistner. That puts it at #11,487 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kistner 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
3.0K
1 in 113,985
Census rank
#11,487
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,622 bearers of the surname Kistner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11487th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kistner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The earliest recorded instances of the name Kistner can be found in various German historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kistner
Among Census respondents with the surname Kistner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kistner 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 Kistner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,449
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 80
- Two or more races2.2% · 57
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kistner
Kistner 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
#11,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,701
-40 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 918 places
2020
#11,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,622
-79 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,696 | 2,741 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,614 | 2,701 | 0.92 | -40 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 918 places |
| 2020 | #11,487 | 2,622 | 0.88 | -79 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 127 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 Kistner 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 | #11,614 | #11,487 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,701 | 2,622 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.88 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kistner bearers went from 2,701 to 2,622 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,614 to #11,487.
FAQ
Kistner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kistner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,007 living Americans carry the surname Kistner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,985 residents.
How common is Kistner?
Kistner ranks #11,487 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,622 people with the surname Kistner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,007), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Kistner.
Has Kistner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kistner went from 2,701 recorded bearers to 2,622. That is a decrease of 79 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,614 to #11,487.
What does the Census say about the background of Kistner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kistner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kistner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,449 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kistner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kistner (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 Kistner mean?
Derived from the German word "Kistner," an occupational surname referring to a carpenter specializing in making 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 Kistner (0.88 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 Kistner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.