2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kiviat
A surname derived from the Yiddish word "kivieh," meaning "one who complains or laments."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Kiviat. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kiviat 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Kiviat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiviat, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kiviat
The surname Kiviat has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "kivik," which translates to "plover," a type of wading bird. This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who lived near or had some association with plovers.
In the early records of the Dutch provinces, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Kyviat, Kiviaat, and Kiviaet. These variations were common during that time due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the municipal records of Amsterdam from the late 1500s, where a certain Jan Kiviaet is mentioned.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kiviat name spread across the Netherlands, with families bearing this surname residing in various regions, including Utrecht, Friesland, and Gelderland. During this period, the name also appeared in some historical documents related to trade and commerce, indicating that Kiviat families may have been involved in mercantile activities.
As Dutch settlers migrated to other parts of the world, they brought their surnames with them. One notable figure was Pieter Kiviat, born in 1645 in Amsterdam, who became one of the early Dutch settlers in the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa) in the late 17th century. Another prominent individual was Adriaen Kiviat, a wealthy merchant from Rotterdam who lived in the late 1700s and was involved in the Dutch East India Company's trade operations.
In the 19th century, the Kiviat surname began to appear in North America as Dutch immigrants settled in various parts of the United States and Canada. One such individual was Cornelius Kiviat, born in 1820 in the Netherlands, who immigrated to New York in the mid-1800s and established a successful farming business in the Hudson Valley region.
Another notable figure was John Kiviat, born in 1885 in New York to Dutch immigrant parents. He became a renowned athlete and won several medals in the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games, representing the United States in various track and field events.
While the Kiviat name has remained relatively uncommon compared to other Dutch surnames, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, ranging from early settlers and merchants to athletes and professionals in modern times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiviat
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiviat, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kiviat 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 Kiviat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 107
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kiviat
Kiviat 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,828 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-9 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 12,828 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 9,437 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 Kiviat 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 | #139,228 | #148,665 | -6.8% |
| Count | 120 | 111 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kiviat bearers went from 120 to 111 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 9,437 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #148,665.
FAQ
Kiviat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kiviat?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Kiviat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Kiviat?
Kiviat ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Kiviat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kiviat.
Has Kiviat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kiviat went from 120 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Kiviat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiviat, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Kiviat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kiviat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Kiviat (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 Kiviat mean?
A surname derived from the Yiddish word "kivieh," meaning "one who complains or laments." 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 Kiviat (0.04 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 Kiviat?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.