2000
#11,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Kopf
A German occupational surname referring to the head of a household, a leader, or someone with a large head.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,625 Americans carry the last name Kopf. That puts it at #12,848 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,573 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kopf 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
2.6K
1 in 130,573
Census rank
#12,848
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,289 bearers of the surname Kopf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12848th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopf, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kopf
The surname KOPF has its origins in the German language. It is derived from the German word "kopf," which means "head." The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with a distinctive head or hairstyle, or perhaps referring to someone's intelligence or headstrong nature.
KOPF is a surname that can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Germany. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in medieval documents and records from regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is possible that the name also has roots in other German-speaking areas, such as Austria or Switzerland.
In the 14th century, a man named Hans Kopf was mentioned in a legal document from the city of Nuremberg, suggesting that the name was already in use by that time. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johann Kopf, a respected scholar and theologian who lived in Leipzig during the 16th century.
The name KOPF has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Kopfenberg, Kopfenburg, and Kopfmühle, which may have influenced the surname's development or served as a source for certain branches of the family.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname KOPF have achieved notable distinction. One example is the German philosopher and mathematician Johann August Kopf (1751-1837), who made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics. Another prominent figure was the Austrian-born American artist and illustrator George Kopf (1839-1915), known for his landscape paintings and illustrations of the American West.
Other notable individuals with the surname KOPF include the German politician and writer Wilhelm Kopf (1876-1962), who served as a member of the Reichstag and wrote several books on political theory, and the American actor and director Ted Kopf (1919-1998), who appeared in numerous television shows and films throughout his career.
While the surname KOPF may have originated as a descriptive name or nickname, it has since become a well-established and respected family name, with bearers found not only in Germany but also in other parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migrations and diasporas of German-speaking peoples over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kopf
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopf, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kopf 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 Kopf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,081
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 105
- Two or more races3.3% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kopf
Kopf 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
#12,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,415
-9 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 938 places
2020
#12,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,289
-126 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,837 | 2,424 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,775 | 2,415 | 0.82 | -9 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 938 places |
| 2020 | #12,848 | 2,289 | 0.77 | -126 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 73 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 Kopf 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 | #12,775 | #12,848 | -0.6% |
| Count | 2,415 | 2,289 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.77 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kopf bearers went from 2,415 to 2,289 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,775 to #12,848.
FAQ
Kopf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kopf?
Name Census estimates that about 2,625 living Americans carry the surname Kopf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,573 residents.
How common is Kopf?
Kopf ranks #12,848 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,289 people with the surname Kopf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,625), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kopf.
Has Kopf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kopf went from 2,415 recorded bearers to 2,289. That is a decrease of 126 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,775 to #12,848.
What does the Census say about the background of Kopf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopf, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Kopf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kopf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Kopf (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 Kopf mean?
A German occupational surname referring to the head of a household, a leader, or someone with a large head. 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 Kopf (0.77 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 share the surname Kopf?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.