2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kauflin
A German surname meaning "little stall" or potentially relating to trading.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Kauflin. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kauflin 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Kauflin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauflin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kauflin
The surname Kauflin is of German origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "kaufen," which means "to buy" or "to trade." The name likely originated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where many early bearers were merchants or traders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Kauflin is mentioned as a merchant in the year 1348. The name also appears in various medieval German manuscripts and chronicles, often in connection with individuals involved in commerce or trade guilds.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Kauflin name gained prominence in various parts of Germany, including the cities of Augsburg, Regensburg, and Munich. Notable bearers from this period include Johann Kauflin (1472-1539), a renowned goldsmith and engraver from Nuremberg, and Hans Kauflin (1501-1571), a respected painter and woodcarver from Augsburg.
In the 17th century, the Kauflin family spread to other regions of Europe, with some members migrating to Switzerland and Austria. One prominent figure from this era was Jacob Kauflin (1628-1701), a Swiss theologian and author who served as a minister in Zurich.
As the name spread across Europe, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Kaufflin, Kauffling, and Kauflin. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciations.
Another noteworthy bearer of the Kauflin name was Johann Friedrich Kauflin (1778-1846), a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of church music in the early 19th century.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Kauflin surname continued to be found throughout Germany, as well as in other German-speaking regions of Europe. Some bearers of the name during this period include the writer and journalist Wilhelm Kauflin (1855-1912) and the painter and illustrator Emil Kauflin (1873-1948).
While the surname Kauflin is not among the most common in Germany today, it remains a proud part of the country's rich cultural heritage, reflecting the historical importance of trade and commerce in shaping many German family names.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kauflin
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauflin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kauflin 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 Kauflin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kauflin
Kauflin 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+20 bearers (+18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,377 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-12 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,891 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+18.3%) | Up 9,377 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 12,891 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 Kauflin 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 | #131,379 | #144,270 | -9.8% |
| Count | 129 | 117 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kauflin bearers went from 129 to 117 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 12,891 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #144,270.
FAQ
Kauflin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kauflin?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Kauflin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Kauflin?
Kauflin ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Kauflin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kauflin.
Has Kauflin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kauflin went from 129 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kauflin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauflin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Kauflin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kauflin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Kauflin (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 Kauflin mean?
A German surname meaning "little stall" or potentially relating to trading. 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 Kauflin (0.04 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 Kauflin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.