2000
#9,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Kyser
Derived from the German surname Kaiser, meaning "emperor," or from a nickname for someone who acted imperiously.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,450 Americans carry the last name Kyser. That puts it at #10,196 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,349 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kyser 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
3.5K
1 in 99,349
Census rank
#10,196
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,009 bearers of the surname Kyser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10196th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kyser, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kyser
The surname Kyser is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "keiser" or "kaiser," meaning "emperor" or "king." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who worked for or was associated with the imperial court or a royal household.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the region of Bavaria in southern Germany. Some of the earliest spellings include Kyser, Keyser, and Keiser. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during that time period.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Kyser can be found in the records of the town of Augsburg, where a certain Hans Kyser was mentioned in a legal document dated 1578. Another notable early record is a birth certificate from the year 1612 in the city of Munich, which lists the name Johann Keyser.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name began to spread beyond Bavaria as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. During this time, the name appeared in various records, such as church registers and tax rolls, in cities like Frankfurt, Leipzig, and Vienna.
One notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Kyser (1762-1832), a German composer and music theorist from the city of Dresden. He is known for his contributions to the development of musical theory and the teaching of harmony.
Another prominent figure with the surname Kyser was Johannes Kyser (1605-1672), a German theologian and philosopher from Nuremberg. He was a notable figure in the Protestant Reformation and authored several influential works on theology and ethics.
In the 19th century, the name Kyser gained recognition with the birth of Johann Friedrich Kyser (1821-1898), a German-American businessman and politician. He emigrated to the United States in the mid-1800s and became a successful entrepreneur in the brewing industry, eventually serving as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Throughout history, the surname Kyser has also been associated with various place names, such as the town of Kaiserswerth in Germany, which means "emperor's island" or "emperor's residence." This connection further reinforces the name's ties to royal or imperial associations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kyser
Among Census respondents with the surname Kyser, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kyser 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 Kyser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 2,264
- Black or African American17.1% · 516
- Two or more races4.3% · 130
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kyser
Kyser 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
#10,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,056
-55 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 914 places
2020
#10,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,009
-47 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,585 | 3,111 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,499 | 3,056 | 1.04 | -55 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 914 places |
| 2020 | #10,196 | 3,009 | 1.01 | -47 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 303 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 Kyser 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 | #10,499 | #10,196 | 2.9% |
| Count | 3,056 | 3,009 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 1.01 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kyser bearers went from 3,056 to 3,009 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 303 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,499 to #10,196.
FAQ
Kyser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kyser?
Name Census estimates that about 3,450 living Americans carry the surname Kyser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,349 residents.
How common is Kyser?
Kyser ranks #10,196 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,009 people with the surname Kyser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,450), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Kyser.
Has Kyser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kyser went from 3,056 recorded bearers to 3,009. That is a decrease of 47 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,499 to #10,196.
What does the Census say about the background of Kyser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kyser, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Kyser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (2,264 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kyser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (17.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Kyser (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 Kyser mean?
Derived from the German surname Kaiser, meaning "emperor," or from a nickname for someone who acted imperiously. 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 Kyser (1.01 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 Kyser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.