2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kaull
A surname of German origin meaning "bald".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Kaull. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaull 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Kaull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaull, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaull
The surname Kaull is believed to have originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Kaul," which means "bald" or "hairless." This suggests that the name initially referred to a person with little or no hair, possibly as a descriptive nickname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kaull name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the German state of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name may have its origins in this region of Germany.
In the 14th century, a German family bearing the name Kaull is mentioned in the Hanseatic League records, which document the activities of the powerful medieval trading confederation in Northern Europe. This indicates that the Kaull family may have been involved in commerce and trade during this period.
The name Kaull has also been linked to certain place names in Germany, such as Kaulsdorf and Kaulbach, which could have influenced the development of the surname. It's possible that some individuals adopted the name based on their place of origin or residence.
Notable individuals with the surname Kaull throughout history include:
1. Johann Kaull (1629-1696), a German Lutheran theologian and author.
2. Heinrich Kaull (1772-1834), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits.
3. Elise Kaull (1830-1904), a German operatic soprano who performed in various European opera houses.
4. Gustav Kaull (1849-1919), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin.
5. Wilhelm Kaull (1888-1958), a German-American physicist and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of television technology.
While the Kaull surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the historical records and examples provided offer insight into the origin, evolution, and prominence of this name in its country of origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaull
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaull, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaull 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 Kaull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 92
- Two or more races5.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaull
Kaull appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-8 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,818 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 4,818 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 Kaull 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 | #150,452 | #155,270 | -3.2% |
| Count | 109 | 101 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaull bearers went from 109 to 101 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 4,818 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #155,270.
FAQ
Kaull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaull?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Kaull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Kaull?
Kaull ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Kaull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kaull.
Has Kaull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaull went from 109 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaull, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Kaull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Kaull (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 Kaull mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "bald". 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 Kaull (0.03 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 Kaull?
See how many people have the surname Kaull on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.