2000
#6,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Kilmer
An English occupational surname referring to a lime burner or cement worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,960 Americans carry the last name Kilmer. That puts it at #6,299 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,509 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kilmer 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
6.0K
1 in 57,509
Census rank
#6,299
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,197 bearers of the surname Kilmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6299th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kilmer
The surname Kilmer is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "kilmeri," which means "chalky ground." This suggests that the name may have originated among those who lived or worked on chalky or limestone soil.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century in the Rhineland region of Germany. In 1189, a record mentions a Konrad Kilmer from the town of Mainz. Another early reference is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus from 1222, which cites a Heinrich Kilmer from the town of Dessau.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Kilmere, Kilmair, and Kilmayer, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations. The Kilmer name is also found in some early church records and tax rolls from villages in the Rhineland and neighboring regions.
One notable figure bearing the Kilmer name was Johannes Kilmer, a 15th-century German monk and scholar who lived from approximately 1430 to 1496. He was known for his work on medieval manuscripts and his contributions to the study of theology and philosophy.
In the 16th century, the name Kilmer began to spread beyond Germany as families migrated to other parts of Europe. For example, records show a Hendrick Kilmer living in the Netherlands in the 1560s, and a Jens Kilmer residing in Denmark in the late 1500s.
Another prominent individual with the Kilmer surname was Johann Kilmer, a German artist and engraver who lived from 1655 to 1703. He was renowned for his intricate copper engravings and worked extensively in the Baroque style.
As the name continued to spread, it also found its way to the United States and other parts of the world through immigration. One notable American with the Kilmer name was Joyce Kilmer, a renowned poet and literary critic who lived from 1886 to 1918. He is best known for his famous poem "Trees" and for his service in World War I, where he was killed in action.
Other notable individuals with the Kilmer surname include Val Kilmer, an American actor born in 1959, known for his roles in films such as Top Gun and Tombstone, and Frederic Kilmer, an American diplomat and author who lived from 1858 to 1918.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kilmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kilmer 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 Kilmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 4,757
- Two or more races3.5% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
- Black or African American0.6% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kilmer
Kilmer 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
#5,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,799
+570 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Up 113 places
2020
#6,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,197
-602 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,051 | 5,229 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,938 | 5,799 | 1.97 | +570 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 113 places |
| 2020 | #6,299 | 5,197 | 1.74 | -602 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 361 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 Kilmer 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 | #5,938 | #6,299 | -6.1% |
| Count | 5,799 | 5,197 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.74 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kilmer bearers went from 5,799 to 5,197 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,938 to #6,299.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kilmer
FAQ
Kilmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kilmer?
Name Census estimates that about 5,960 living Americans carry the surname Kilmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,509 residents.
How common is Kilmer?
Kilmer ranks #6,299 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,197 people with the surname Kilmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kilmer.
Has Kilmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kilmer went from 5,799 recorded bearers to 5,197. That is a decrease of 602 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,938 to #6,299.
What does the Census say about the background of Kilmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kilmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Kilmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (4,757 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kilmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Kilmer (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 Kilmer mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a lime burner or cement worker. 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 Kilmer (1.74 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 Americans have the surname Kilmer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.