2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kofroth
A surname of German origin indicating someone who resided near a small forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Kofroth. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kofroth 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Kofroth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kofroth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kofroth
The surname "KOFROTH" has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "kofer," which means "coffer" or "chest," combined with the suffix "-oth," indicating a place of origin or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the city of Cologne, where a certain Hans Kofroth was mentioned as a skilled woodworker in 1587. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with the crafting of wooden chests or coffers.
In the 17th century, the Kofroth family appears to have spread to various regions of Germany, with notable individuals such as Johann Kofroth (1623-1697), a prominent merchant in the city of Frankfurt, and Anna Kofroth (1649-1721), a respected educator in the town of Mainz.
The name Kofroth is also linked to several place names in Germany, such as the village of Kofroth in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which may have served as a point of origin for some branches of the family.
As the Kofroth surname gained recognition, it was carried by various individuals throughout history. One notable example is Wilhelm Kofroth (1807-1879), a German philosopher and author who wrote extensively on ethics and social reform.
Another prominent figure was Gertrude Kofroth (1856-1932), a pioneering German sculptor known for her intricate works in bronze and marble. Her sculptures can be found in various museums and public spaces across Europe.
In the 20th century, the name Kofroth gained international recognition with the accomplishments of Hans Kofroth (1918-2005), a German-born physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear fusion research while working in the United States.
The surname Kofroth has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins rooted in German craftsmanship and place names. While the name has evolved over time, it continues to carry the legacy of its ancestors and their contributions to various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kofroth
Among Census respondents with the surname Kofroth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kofroth 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 Kofroth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kofroth
Kofroth 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,530 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-7 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,530 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 8,430 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 Kofroth 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 | #137,327 | #145,757 | -6.1% |
| Count | 122 | 115 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kofroth bearers went from 122 to 115 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 8,430 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #145,757.
FAQ
Kofroth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kofroth?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Kofroth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Kofroth?
Kofroth ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Kofroth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Kofroth.
Has Kofroth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kofroth went from 122 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Kofroth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kofroth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kofroth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kofroth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kofroth (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 Kofroth mean?
A surname of German origin indicating someone who resided near a small forest. 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 Kofroth (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 common is the surname Kofroth?
Find out how many people have the last name Kofroth on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.