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

Kittinger, 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 Kittinger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kittinger in America

Kittinger is the 15615th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kittinger surname appeared 1,871 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 Kittinger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kittinger 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 Kittinger

The surname Kittinger is of German origin, originating from the region of Bavaria in southern Germany. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kittingen," which was a place name referring to a small settlement or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kittinger can be found in the Bavarian town of Kulmbach, where a person named Hans Kittinger was mentioned in a municipal record dated 1492. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the late 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kittinger name appeared in various historical records and documents across Bavaria and neighboring regions of Germany. For instance, a Johannes Kittinger was recorded as a landowner in the town of Ansbach in 1587.

The Kittinger name also has ties to the aristocracy of the Holy Roman Empire. In the 18th century, a noble family by the name of Kittinger von Kulmerfeld held significant land and influence in the region of Franconia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at that time.

One notable member of this family was Johann Baptist Kittinger von Kulmerfeld (1689-1761), who served as a high-ranking military officer and diplomat in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.

Another prominent individual with the Kittinger surname was Johann Michael Kittinger (1734-1808), a renowned Bavarian architect and master builder. He was responsible for designing and constructing numerous churches, palaces, and other important buildings throughout southern Germany during the late 18th century.

In more recent history, the Kittinger name gained international recognition through the exploits of Joseph Kittinger (1928-2022), a former United States Air Force officer and pioneering aviator. He is best known for setting several world records for high-altitude skydiving, including the highest parachute jump from an altitude of 102,800 feet in 1960.

While the Kittinger surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, where it has been adopted by families of both German and non-German descent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kittinger

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

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

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

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