Find out how popular the last name Kor is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kor.

Kor, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kor in America

Kor is the 39486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kor surname appeared 557 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kor to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kor

The surname "Kor" is of Dutch origin and is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "kort," which means "short" or "brief." This would suggest that the name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone of short stature or perhaps with a brief temper.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a Dutch census record from the city of Amsterdam in the year 1598, where a certain Jan Kor is listed as a resident. There are also records of a Pieter Kor who was a merchant based in the city of Delft in the early 17th century.

In the late 17th century, the name appears in various historical documents from the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), suggesting that some individuals bearing the surname may have been among the early Dutch colonists or traders in the region.

A notable historical figure with the surname Kor was Willem Kor (1634-1692), a Dutch painter and engraver who was born in the city of Utrecht. His works, which included landscapes and portraits, were highly regarded during his lifetime and can be found in several Dutch museums today.

Another individual of note was Cornelis Kor (1765-1841), a Dutch naval officer who served in the Batavian Republic's navy during the French Revolutionary Wars. He is known for his involvement in several naval battles against the British and his later role in helping to establish the Dutch East Indies' colonial navy.

In the 19th century, the name appears in various records from the Dutch province of Friesland, with several families bearing the surname residing in the cities of Leeuwarden and Franeker. One notable individual from this region was Jurjen Kor (1823-1889), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Dutch parliament in the latter half of the 1800s.

Throughout its history, the surname "Kor" has also been found with slight variations in spelling, such as "Korr" or "Korrs," though these are believed to be less common variants of the same Dutch name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kor

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kor.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kor was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kor has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kor was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kor, please contact us.

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