The Kempf surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,364 people carried this name — #5,465 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 46,300 people counted. That is up 2% from 6,232 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Kempf surname
German and Danish surname, variant of Kämpf, Kampf.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kempf» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 1,678 people named Kempf.
51 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 50 départements, most often Haut-Rhin.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
1,355 people named Kempf live in Switzerland.
They live in 24 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Uri.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 83 people named Kempf live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Córdoba.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
67 people named Kempf have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 100 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 11 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
34 people named Kempf is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Kempf in American newspapers,
1891–1904.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,948 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Kempf,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Johannes Kempf 1592–1635 · physician -
Jörg Kempf d. 1564 · master of the works
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Nicolas Kempf 1397–1497 · religious
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Elisabeth Kempf 1415–1485 · nun
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Nicolaus Kempf 1415–1497 · monk
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Ludwig Kempf 1804–1876 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Kempf.
- Kelsch 1,996 · U.S. census
- Keltz 621 · U.S. census
- Kemp 46,146 · U.S. census
- Kempa 671 · U.S. census
- Kempen 731 · U.S. census
- Kempenich 207 · U.S. census
- Kempfer 753 · U.S. census
- Kempff 107 · U.S. census
- Kennedy 176,865 · U.S. census
- Kennel 938 · U.S. census
- Keo 3,223 · U.S. census
- Kerber 3,535 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Kempf is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.