2000
#3,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,788
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.00
Uncommon Last name
Kuntz
A German occupational surname referring to a furrier or fur trader, derived from the Middle High German "kürse(n)er".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,683 Americans carry the last name Kuntz. That puts it at #3,426 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,338 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuntz 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
12K
1 in 29,338
Census rank
#3,426
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,188 bearers of the surname Kuntz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3426th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuntz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuntz
The surname Kuntz is of German origin, derived from the German word "Kunz," a diminutive form of the given name "Konrad." The name can be traced back to the 12th century and was initially prevalent in southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Kuntzlinus" is mentioned in a record from the year 1285. Another early reference is found in the Alsatian town records of Mulhouse, where a "Johannes Kuntz" is listed in 1345.
The name Kuntz is derived from the Germanic root "kuon," meaning "bold" or "brave," reflecting its origins as a personal attribute or descriptive nickname. Over time, it evolved into a hereditary surname passed down through generations.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Kuntz," "Kuntze," and "Kunze," reflecting regional variations and the lack of standardized spelling at the time. One notable individual bearing the name was Johann Kuntz, a German theologian and reformer born in 1470, who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kuntz surname became more widespread, with several prominent individuals bearing the name. One such figure was Kaspar Kuntz, a German painter born in 1613, known for his religious works and portraiture.
In the 18th century, the name Kuntz was found in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, where a family of Kuntz was recorded in the town of Zwickau. A notable individual from this era was Johann Christoph Kuntz, a German composer and organist born in 1720, who contributed to the development of the Baroque music tradition.
Moving into the 19th century, the Kuntz surname gained further prominence with individuals like Carl Kuntz, a German mathematician and educator born in 1770, who made significant contributions to the field of geometry.
Throughout history, the Kuntz name has been associated with various occupations and professions, including artisans, scholars, and tradesmen, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuntz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuntz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuntz 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 Kuntz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 9,459
- Two or more races3.0% · 305
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 248
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 65
- Black or African American0.6% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuntz
Kuntz 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
#3,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,848
+60 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 3.68
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#3,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,188
-660 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,081 | 10,788 | 4.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,307 | 10,848 | 3.68 | +60 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #3,426 | 10,188 | 3.41 | -660 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 119 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 Kuntz 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 | #3,307 | #3,426 | -3.6% |
| Count | 10,848 | 10,188 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.68 | 3.41 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuntz bearers went from 10,848 to 10,188 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,307 to #3,426.
FAQ
Kuntz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuntz?
Name Census estimates that about 11,683 living Americans carry the surname Kuntz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,338 residents.
How common is Kuntz?
Kuntz ranks #3,426 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,188 people with the surname Kuntz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,683), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kuntz.
Has Kuntz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuntz went from 10,848 recorded bearers to 10,188. That is a decrease of 660 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,307 to #3,426.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuntz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuntz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (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 Kuntz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (9,459 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuntz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (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 Kuntz (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 Kuntz mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a furrier or fur trader, derived from the Middle High German "kürse(n)er". 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 Kuntz (3.41 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 people have the surname Kuntz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.