2000
#14,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,935
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Kuester
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "kuster" meaning sexton or caretaker of a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,126 Americans carry the last name Kuester. That puts it at #15,238 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,220 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuester 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
2.1K
1 in 161,220
Census rank
#15,238
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,854 bearers of the surname Kuester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15238th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuester, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuester
The surname Kuester has its roots in Germany, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "küster," which means "sacristan" or "sexton." A sacristan was a person responsible for maintaining and caring for church property, ringing the bells, and assisting the clergy during services.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kuester can be found in German church records and tax rolls dating back to the 14th century. At that time, the name was often spelled variations like "Kuster" or "Custer." These early records suggest that the name was initially an occupational surname, given to individuals who held the role of sacristan in their local parish.
One of the earliest known references to the name Kuester appears in a 1389 document from the city of Nuremberg, which mentions a "Johann Kuster." Another early record from 1412 in the town of Bamberg lists a "Konrad Custer" among the local residents.
Over the centuries, the name Kuester has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 16th century, Johann Küster (1556-1628) was a German theologian and Lutheran clergyman who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig. Another notable figure was Johann Küster (1670-1719), a German classical scholar and editor who published influential editions of ancient Greek texts.
In the 18th century, Johann Matthias Küster (1723-1793) was a German physician and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology. His work included the description of several new plant and animal species.
Moving into the 19th century, Johann Georg Küster (1793-1857) was a German philologist and educator who taught at the University of Göttingen. He published numerous works on ancient Greek literature and language.
While the surname Kuester originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, the name's roots can be traced back to its historical role as an occupational surname related to the duties of a sacristan in medieval German churches.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuester
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuester, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuester 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 Kuester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 1,716
- Two or more races3.3% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuester
Kuester 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
#15,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,890
-45 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,268 places
2020
#15,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,854
-36 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,226 | 1,935 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,494 | 1,890 | 0.64 | -45 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,268 places |
| 2020 | #15,238 | 1,854 | 0.62 | -36 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 256 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 Kuester 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 | #15,494 | #15,238 | 1.7% |
| Count | 1,890 | 1,854 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.62 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuester bearers went from 1,890 to 1,854 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,494 to #15,238.
FAQ
Kuester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuester?
Name Census estimates that about 2,126 living Americans carry the surname Kuester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,220 residents.
How common is Kuester?
Kuester ranks #15,238 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,854 people with the surname Kuester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Kuester.
Has Kuester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuester went from 1,890 recorded bearers to 1,854. That is a decrease of 36 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,494 to #15,238.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuester, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Kuester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (1,716 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Kuester (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 Kuester mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "kuster" meaning sexton or caretaker of a church. 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 Kuester (0.62 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 Kuester?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Kuester is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.