2000
#4,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.47
Rare Last name
Kaufmann
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader, derived from the German word for "merchant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,731 Americans carry the last name Kaufmann. That puts it at #5,042 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,335 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaufmann 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 Kaufmann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,335
Census rank
#5,042
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,742 bearers of the surname Kaufmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5042nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaufmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaufmann
The surname Kaufmann originated in German-speaking regions of Europe during the Middle Ages. It is an occupational surname derived from the German word "Kaufmann," meaning "merchant" or "trader." The name reflects the occupation of the original bearer, who was likely involved in commercial activities such as buying and selling goods.
The earliest known records of the surname Kaufmann date back to the 13th century in various regions of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. One of the earliest documented instances is found in the Bavarian town of Kaufbeuren, where a merchant named Chunradus Kaufmann was mentioned in a document from 1293.
Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, the Kaufmann surname appeared in various historical records, including municipal registers, tax rolls, and guild records. For instance, Hans Kaufmann was a prominent merchant in the city of Nuremberg during the late 15th century, known for his successful trading ventures.
In the 16th century, the Kaufmann family gained prominence in the city of Augsburg, where they were part of the wealthy merchant class. Johann Kaufmann (1487-1552) was a prominent banker and merchant who served as a municipal councilor and played a significant role in the city's economic and political affairs.
Another noteworthy individual was Sebastian Kaufmann (1507-1553), a German humanist scholar and theologian from Tübingen. He was known for his contributions to the Protestant Reformation and his writings on theology and philosophy.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kaufmann surname spread across various regions of German-speaking Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and parts of present-day Poland and the Czech Republic. Notable figures from this period include Johann Gottfried Kaufmann (1679-1749), a German composer and organist from Leipzig, and Christian Kaufmann (1733-1807), a notable Swiss architect and sculptor from Graubünden.
In the 19th century, the Kaufmann family gained prominence in the field of commerce and industry. Abraham Kaufmann (1832-1915) was a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Kaufmann & Söhne textile company in Brötzingen, which became one of the largest textile manufacturers in Europe.
As the Kaufmann surname spread across Europe and beyond, it has been associated with various notable individuals throughout history, including scholars, artists, and businesspeople, reflecting its roots as an occupational surname connected to the merchant and trading professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaufmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaufmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaufmann 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 Kaufmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 6,194
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 237
- Two or more races2.7% · 182
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 84
- Black or African American0.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaufmann
Kaufmann 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
#5,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,818
+154 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 299 places
2020
#5,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,742
-76 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Up 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,834 | 6,664 | 2.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,133 | 6,818 | 2.31 | +154 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 299 places |
| 2020 | #5,042 | 6,742 | 2.26 | -76 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 91 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 Kaufmann 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 | #5,133 | #5,042 | 1.8% |
| Count | 6,818 | 6,742 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.31 | 2.26 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaufmann bearers went from 6,818 to 6,742 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,133 to #5,042.
FAQ
Kaufmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaufmann?
Name Census estimates that about 7,731 living Americans carry the surname Kaufmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,335 residents.
How common is Kaufmann?
Kaufmann ranks #5,042 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,742 people with the surname Kaufmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,731), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kaufmann.
Has Kaufmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaufmann went from 6,818 recorded bearers to 6,742. That is a decrease of 76 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,133 to #5,042.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaufmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaufmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (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 Kaufmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (6,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaufmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (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 Kaufmann (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 Kaufmann mean?
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader, derived from the German word for "merchant." 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 Kaufmann (2.26 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 are called Kaufmann?
Find out how many people have the surname Kaufmann on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.