2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kitselman
An Americanized spelling of a German surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Kitselman. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kitselman 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Kitselman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kitselman
The surname Kitselman is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It is derived from the Old High German words "kitz" meaning "young goat" and "mann" meaning "man," suggesting that the name was likely an occupational surname for someone who tended or herded goats.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town records of Regensburg from the late 15th century, where a certain Hans Kitzelman is mentioned as a resident and goatherd. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, with spellings such as "Kitzelman," "Kitzlmann," and "Kitzelmann."
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Kitselman (1724-1802), a prominent Lutheran minister and theologian from Saxony. He served as the pastor of St. Michael's Church in Erfurt and authored several well-regarded works on theology and church history.
Another historical figure with this surname was Friedrich Kitselman (1856-1932), a German architect and urban planner who was instrumental in the development of several major cities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Berlin and Hamburg. His work helped shape the modern urban landscapes of these cities and influenced architectural styles of the time.
In the realm of literature, the name Kitselman is associated with the 19th-century German writer and poet, Wilhelmine Kitselman (1810-1889). She was known for her romantic poetry and novels, which often explored themes of love, nature, and the struggles of women in society during that era.
Another notable figure was Karl Kitselman (1878-1946), a German-American engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early automotive technologies. He held numerous patents for innovations in engine design and fuel efficiency, which were widely adopted by several major automobile manufacturers.
The name Kitselman has also been associated with various places and landmarks throughout Germany and parts of central Europe. For instance, the village of Kitselmannsdorf in Bavaria is believed to have been named after an early settler or landowner with the surname Kitselman.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kitselman
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kitselman 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 Kitselman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 94
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kitselman
Kitselman 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,617 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-8 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,377 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,617 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 3,377 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 Kitselman 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 | #152,628 | #156,005 | -2.2% |
| Count | 107 | 99 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kitselman bearers went from 107 to 99 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 3,377 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #156,005.
FAQ
Kitselman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kitselman?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Kitselman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Kitselman?
Kitselman ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Kitselman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kitselman.
Has Kitselman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kitselman went from 107 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Kitselman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Kitselman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kitselman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Kitselman (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 Kitselman mean?
An Americanized spelling of a German surname derived from a place name. 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 Kitselman (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Kitselman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.