The Kern surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 28,547 people carried this name — #1,237 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 10,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 27,634 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Kern surname
The unincorporated community in Missouri is named after Robert Kern. The Kern River is named after Edward Kern.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kern» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
2,712 people named Kern live in Switzerland.
They live in 25 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
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 France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 1,779 people named Kern.
114 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 58 départements, most often Bas-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 Argentina’s national register
At least 838 people named Kern 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 Santa Fe.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere 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
401 people named Kern have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 637 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 13 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Opole.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere 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
152 people named Kern are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
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) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Kern in American newspapers,
1896–1957.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 453,936 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Kern,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Lukas Kern 1681–1749 -
Philippe Frédéric Kern 1746–1826 · theologian -
Vincenz Kern 1760–1829 · physician -
Anna Kern 1800–1879 · historian -
Johann Konrad Kern 1808–1888 · lawyer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 150 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Kern.
- 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
- Kerkhove 131 · U.S. census
- Kernen 548 · U.S. census
- Kerner 4,001 · U.S. census
- Kesler 6,704 · U.S. census
- Kessel 4,976 · U.S. census
- Kesseler 159 · U.S. census
- Kessler 29,064 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Kern 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.