2000
#38,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 542
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Conrath
A German surname derived from "Konrad," meaning bold counsel or brave advisor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 570 Americans carry the last name Conrath. That puts it at #46,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 601,323 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conrath 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
570
1 in 601,323
Census rank
#46,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
497
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 497 bearers of the surname Conrath in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conrath
The surname Conrath is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, Germany, in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is likely derived from the Old German words "kon" and "rath," meaning "brave" and "counsel" respectively, suggesting the name may have initially referred to someone who was considered a brave advisor or counselor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town records of Nuremberg, where a certain Johannes Conrath was mentioned as a respected citizen in the year 1387. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as the Augsburg City Archives, which reference a family named Conrath residing in the area during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Conrath began to spread beyond Bavaria, with records indicating individuals bearing this surname in other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions like Austria and Switzerland. During this period, variations in spelling also emerged, with forms like Konrath, Conraht, and Conradt appearing in various documents.
One notable figure in history with the name Conrath is Johann Georg Conrath, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1630 in Nuremberg. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and published several works on celestial mechanics.
Another individual of note is Johann Michael Conrath, a Bavarian theologian and author who lived from 1650 to 1718. He wrote extensively on religious topics and served as a professor at the University of Ingolstadt.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Conrath family migrated to the United States, with records indicating their presence in Pennsylvania as early as the 1730s. One prominent member of this American branch was Jacob Conrath, born in 1765, who served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War.
As the centuries progressed, the Conrath surname continued to spread across Europe and other parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields, including art, literature, and politics. Notable examples include the 19th-century German painter Johann Conrath and the 20th-century American author and screenwriter Philip Conrath.
While the origins of the Conrath name can be traced back to medieval Bavaria, its history spans centuries and continents, reflecting the diverse journeys and accomplishments of those who have carried this surname throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conrath
Among Census respondents with the surname Conrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Conrath 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 Conrath surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 465
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 15
- Two or more races2.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conrath
Conrath 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
#41,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 527
-15 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 2,908 places
2020
#46,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 497
-30 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 4,950 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,395 | 542 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,303 | 527 | 0.18 | -15 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 2,908 places |
| 2020 | #46,253 | 497 | 0.17 | -30 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 4,950 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 Conrath 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 | #41,303 | #46,253 | -12.0% |
| Count | 527 | 497 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conrath bearers went from 527 to 497 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 4,950 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,303 to #46,253.
FAQ
Conrath surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conrath?
Name Census estimates that about 570 living Americans carry the surname Conrath. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 601,323 residents.
How common is Conrath?
Conrath ranks #46,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 497 people with the surname Conrath. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (570), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Conrath.
Has Conrath become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conrath went from 527 recorded bearers to 497. That is a decrease of 30 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #41,303 to #46,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Conrath?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) 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 Conrath in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (465 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conrath appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.0%), 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 Conrath (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 Conrath mean?
A German surname derived from "Konrad," meaning bold counsel or brave advisor. 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 Conrath (0.17 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 last name Conrath?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Conrath, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.