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Kemper
OriginGerman and Dutch surname
Meaning"serf; hemp farmer; person from Kempen"
About Kemper
As a given name, Kemper is a rare gender-neutral choice, given to fewer than 50 American babies at last count. It's much more familiar as a surname, as in that of Ellie Kemper, an actor from The Office and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
The German form of Kemper designated a peasant farmer, while the Dutch referenced someone who worked with hemp. Kemper may have also been used as a surname for people from one of the German-Dutch towns called Kempen.
As of October 2026, Kemper ranked #6288 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1884 in 1947.
Editor's take: The name Kemper is a boy's name meaning "serf; hemp farmer; person from Kempen".
Popularity & trends
US popularity — history
US rank, lower is more popular · SSA data 2014–2025
Actual · SSA
20142025
18802025
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,832 | 42 | 21.9 |
| 2015 | #2,399 | 54 | 28.2 |
| 2016 | #3,036 | 39 | 20.6 |
| 2017 | #2,822 | 43 | 23.2 |
| 2018 | #3,024 | 39 | 21.5 |
| 2019 | #4,284 | 24 | 13.4 |
| 2020 | #3,971 | 26 | 15.1 |
| 2021 | #4,857 | 20 | 11.4 |
| 2022 | #3,825 | 29 | 16.6 |
| 2023 | #3,591 | 32 | 18.7 |
| 2024 | #4,247 | 25 | 14.5 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
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