2000
#95,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 178
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Kjeldgaard
A Danish surname derived from a farmstead name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 263 Americans carry the last name Kjeldgaard. That puts it at #87,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,303,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kjeldgaard 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
263
1 in 1,303,248
Census rank
#87,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
229
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 229 bearers of the surname Kjeldgaard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kjeldgaard, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kjeldgaard
The surname KJELDGAARD has its origins in Denmark, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Danish words "kjeld" meaning "spring" or "well," and "gaard" meaning "farm" or "homestead." This suggests that the name was originally a descriptive term for a farm or property located near a natural spring or well.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KJELDGAARD can be found in a Danish census record from 1572, where a farmer named Niels Kjeldgaard is listed as residing in the village of Sønder Vinge, near the town of Holbæk.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name KJELDGAARD was Jens Kjeldgaard (1618-1679), a Danish Lutheran minister and theologian who served as the Bishop of Viborg from 1668 until his death.
Another early record of the name appears in the 1688 baptismal register of the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, where a child named Maren Kjeldgaard was christened.
During the 18th century, the name KJELDGAARD remained prevalent in Denmark, particularly in rural areas. One notable individual from this period was Karen Kjeldgaard (1724-1798), a Danish midwife and herbalist who was widely respected for her knowledge of traditional remedies and her skill in assisting with childbirth.
In the 19th century, the KJELDGAARD name began to spread beyond Denmark's borders as individuals with this surname emigrated to other parts of the world. For instance, Hans Kjeldgaard (1832-1912), a Danish-American farmer, settled in Racine County, Wisconsin, in the United States in the 1860s.
As the 20th century approached, the name KJELDGAARD continued to be carried by individuals of Danish descent, both in Denmark and in communities established by Danish immigrants abroad. One notable figure from this era was Henrik Kjeldgaard (1898-1976), a Danish architect and urban planner who was influential in the development of modern housing projects in Copenhagen.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kjeldgaard
Among Census respondents with the surname Kjeldgaard, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kjeldgaard 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 Kjeldgaard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 210
- Two or more races3.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kjeldgaard
Kjeldgaard 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
#84,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 221
+43 bearers (+24.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 10,343 places
2020
#87,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229
+8 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 2,564 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #95,091 | 178 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #84,748 | 221 | 0.07 | +43 bearers (+24.2%) | Up 10,343 places |
| 2020 | #87,312 | 229 | 0.08 | +8 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 2,564 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 Kjeldgaard 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 | #84,748 | #87,312 | -3.0% |
| Count | 221 | 229 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.08 | 9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kjeldgaard bearers went from 221 to 229 (+3.6% change). The surname moved down 2,564 positions in the national ranking, going from #84,748 to #87,312.
FAQ
Kjeldgaard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kjeldgaard?
Name Census estimates that about 263 living Americans carry the surname Kjeldgaard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,303,248 residents.
How common is Kjeldgaard?
Kjeldgaard ranks #87,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 229 people with the surname Kjeldgaard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (263), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Kjeldgaard.
Has Kjeldgaard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kjeldgaard went from 221 recorded bearers to 229. That is an increase of 8 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #84,748 to #87,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Kjeldgaard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kjeldgaard, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kjeldgaard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kjeldgaard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kjeldgaard (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 Kjeldgaard mean?
A Danish surname derived from a farmstead name or location. 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 Kjeldgaard (0.08 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 are called Kjeldgaard?
Want to know how common the surname Kjeldgaard is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.