2000
#911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.90
Uncommon Last name
Kaufman
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader, derived from the German words "kaufen" (to buy) and "mann" (man).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,775 Americans carry the last name Kaufman. That puts it at #1,016 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,840 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaufman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kaufman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,840
Census rank
#1,016
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,814 bearers of the surname Kaufman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1016th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaufman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaufman
The surname Kaufman is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "koufman," which means "merchant" or "trader." This name first emerged in the 12th century in the Germanic regions of central Europe.
The name Kaufman is an occupational surname, given to individuals who were involved in commercial activities, such as buying and selling goods. It is believed that the earliest bearers of this name were merchants or traders who traveled across medieval Europe, facilitating the exchange of goods between different regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaufman can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a 9th-century manuscript from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This document mentions a person named "Kauffman" as a witness in a legal transaction.
In the 13th century, the name Kaufman appeared in various forms, such as "Koufman," "Koffman," and "Kauffmann," in various German-speaking regions. During this period, the name was also associated with specific places, such as the town of Kaufbeuren in Bavaria, which derived its name from the German words "kauf" (buy) and "beuren" (farmers or peasants).
One notable historical figure with the surname Kaufman was Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), a Swiss Neoclassical painter who achieved significant fame and success in the 18th century. She was a founding member of the Royal Academy in London and is known for her iconic portraits and historical paintings.
Another prominent individual was Theodore Kaufman (1814-1884), an American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Kaufman Brothers & Bondy Company, a successful trading and mercantile firm in the 19th century. He played a significant role in the development of the American West and was instrumental in establishing trade routes and commercial centers.
In the late 19th century, the German-American writer and philosopher Kaufman Kohler (1843-1926) gained recognition for his contributions to the reform movement within Judaism. He was a prominent figure in the Jewish community and served as the president of Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.
The 20th century saw the rise of several notable individuals with the surname Kaufman, including George S. Kaufman (1889-1961), an American playwright and humorist who co-wrote numerous successful plays and musicals on Broadway, including "The Man Who Came to Dinner" and "You Can't Take It With You."
Another prominent figure was Andy Kaufman (1949-1984), an American entertainer and actor known for his eccentric and unconventional comedy routines. He gained widespread recognition for his appearances on the popular television series "Taxi" and his distinctive brand of performance art.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaufman
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaufman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaufman 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 Kaufman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 31,057
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,088
- Two or more races2.4% · 802
- Black or African American1.6% · 532
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 266
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaufman
Kaufman 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
#1,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,844
+58 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 11.81
Rank movement Down 96 places
2020
#1,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,814
-1,030 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 11.31
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #911 | 34,786 | 12.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,007 | 34,844 | 11.81 | +58 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 96 places |
| 2020 | #1,016 | 33,814 | 11.31 | -1,030 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 9 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 Kaufman 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 | #1,007 | #1,016 | -0.9% |
| Count | 34,844 | 33,814 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 11.81 | 11.31 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaufman bearers went from 34,844 to 33,814 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,007 to #1,016.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kaufman
FAQ
Kaufman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaufman?
Name Census estimates that about 38,775 living Americans carry the surname Kaufman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,840 residents.
How common is Kaufman?
Kaufman ranks #1,016 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,814 people with the surname Kaufman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,775), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Kaufman.
Has Kaufman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaufman went from 34,844 recorded bearers to 33,814. That is a decrease of 1,030 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,007 to #1,016.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaufman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaufman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kaufman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (31,057 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaufman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kaufman (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 Kaufman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader, derived from the German words "kaufen" (to buy) and "mann" (man). 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 Kaufman (11.31 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 common is the surname Kaufman?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Kaufman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.