2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kuisle
A surname denoting a Catholic of German or Swiss origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kuisle. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuisle 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Kuisle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuisle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuisle
The surname KUISLE has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "kusil," which meant "cushion" or "pillow," possibly indicating that the name's bearers were involved in the manufacture or trade of these items.
One of the earliest mentions of the name can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, where a certain Hans Kuisle was listed as a resident in 1537. The name also appeared in various church registers and legal documents across southern Germany during this period, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Kuisler or Küisle.
In the 17th century, the name KUISLE began to spread beyond its initial geographic confines, with families bearing this surname appearing in neighboring regions like Swabia and Baden-Württemberg. This expansion was likely driven by economic opportunities or political upheavals of the time.
Notable individuals with the KUISLE surname throughout history include Johann Michael Kuisle (1650-1718), a renowned clockmaker from Augsburg whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by European nobility. Another prominent figure was Katharina Kuisle (1720-1789), a influential businesswoman who owned several textile factories in Ulm and played a pivotal role in the city's economic development.
During the 19th century, as industrialization and urbanization took hold across Germany, many KUISLE families migrated to larger cities like Munich and Berlin in search of employment opportunities. One such individual was Friedrich Kuisle (1832-1903), a successful architect who designed numerous public buildings and private residences in the German capital.
Across the Atlantic, the name KUISLE also gained a foothold in the United States, with some of the earliest recorded instances dating back to the mid-19th century. One notable American bearer of this surname was William Kuisle (1875-1942), a prominent lawyer and judge in Chicago who played a key role in several high-profile cases during the early 20th century.
In more recent times, the KUISLE name has continued to be represented across various fields, including academia, arts, and sports. Among the most well-known modern individuals with this surname is Peter Kuisle (born 1962), a acclaimed German writer and poet whose works have garnered critical acclaim and numerous literary awards.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuisle
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuisle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuisle 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 Kuisle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 105
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuisle
Kuisle 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,120 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,797 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,120 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,797 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 Kuisle 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 | #140,157 | #147,954 | -5.6% |
| Count | 119 | 112 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuisle bearers went from 119 to 112 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,797 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kuisle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuisle?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kuisle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kuisle?
Kuisle ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Kuisle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Kuisle.
Has Kuisle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuisle went from 119 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuisle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuisle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (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 Kuisle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuisle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Black (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 Kuisle (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 Kuisle mean?
A surname denoting a Catholic of German or Swiss origin. 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 Kuisle (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 are called Kuisle?
Want to know how many people have the surname Kuisle? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.