2000
#1,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,488
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.71
Uncommon Last name
Kurtz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the German word "kurz," meaning "short" in stature or length.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,958 Americans carry the last name Kurtz. That puts it at #1,479 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,714 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurtz 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 Kurtz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,714
Census rank
#1,479
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,509 bearers of the surname Kurtz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1479th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurtz
The surname Kurtz is of German origin and is believed to have first emerged in the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "kurz," which means "short" or "brief." The name is thought to have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone of short stature or a person with a short temper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kurtz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears as "Curt" and "Curtze," which are believed to be early variations of the modern spelling.
In the 15th century, the surname Kurtz is mentioned in the Zimmern Chronicle, a historical account of the Zimmern family from the region of Swabia in southwestern Germany. The chronicle mentions a "Hans Kurtz," suggesting that the name was in use in this area during that time period.
One notable individual with the surname Kurtz was Johann Kurtz, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1574 to 1651. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Gregorian calendar and his work on celestial mechanics.
Another historical figure with the name Kurtz was Johann Gottfried Kurtz, a German theologian and author who lived from 1654 to 1720. He wrote extensively on religious topics and is remembered for his work in promoting the spread of Pietism, a religious movement within Lutheranism.
In the 19th century, the surname Kurtz was associated with several notable individuals, including the German author and philosopher Hermann Kurtz (1813-1892), and the American historian and author John Nicholas Kurtz (1820-1892), who wrote extensively on the history of the United States.
The name Kurtz has also been linked to various place names in Germany, such as Kurtzenhausen, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and Kurtzenberg, a hill in the region of Swabia. These place names may have influenced the spelling and spread of the surname over time.
Throughout history, the surname Kurtz has maintained its Germanic roots and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, authors, and religious figures. While its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, the name has endured and continues to be used in various parts of the world today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurtz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurtz 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 Kurtz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 21,686
- Two or more races2.9% · 678
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 640
- Black or African American1.1% · 262
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 178
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurtz
Kurtz 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
#1,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,216
+728 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 8.21
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#1,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,509
-707 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 7.87
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,383 | 23,488 | 8.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,476 | 24,216 | 8.21 | +728 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #1,479 | 23,509 | 7.87 | -707 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 3 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 Kurtz 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 | #1,476 | #1,479 | -0.2% |
| Count | 24,216 | 23,509 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.21 | 7.87 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurtz bearers went from 24,216 to 23,509 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,476 to #1,479.
FAQ
Kurtz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurtz?
Name Census estimates that about 26,958 living Americans carry the surname Kurtz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,714 residents.
How common is Kurtz?
Kurtz ranks #1,479 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,509 people with the surname Kurtz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,958), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Kurtz.
Has Kurtz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurtz went from 24,216 recorded bearers to 23,509. That is a decrease of 707 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,476 to #1,479.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurtz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kurtz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (21,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurtz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kurtz (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 Kurtz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the German word "kurz," meaning "short" in stature or length. 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 Kurtz (7.87 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 Kurtz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.