Korb last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Korb

A German occupational surname referring to a basket maker or weaver.

Korb, 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 Korb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Korb in America

Korb is the 13334th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Korb surname appeared 2,287 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Korb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Korb 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 13334 11729 12.81%
Count 2,287 2,448 -6.80%
Proportion per 100k 0.78 0.91 -15.38%

The history of the last name Korb

The surname KORB has its origins in Germany, where it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German word "Korb," meaning "basket," which suggests that the original bearers of this surname may have been basket makers or traders.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KORB surname dates back to the 13th century, when a certain Johannes Korb was mentioned in a document from the town of Mainz in the Rhineland region of Germany. This region, along with the neighboring areas of Hesse and Franconia, is considered the historical heartland of the KORB name.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the city of Nuremberg, where a family of basket makers named KORB was documented. This suggests that the name may have been associated with a specific trade or occupation during that period.

As the KORB surname spread across Germany and other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Korber, Körber, and Körbe. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic differences that existed at the time.

One notable historical figure with the KORB surname was Johann Korb (1670-1741), a German writer and traveler who accompanied the Austrian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the early 18th century. His travelogue, "Diary of a Journey to the Ottoman Court," provided valuable insights into the culture and customs of the Ottoman Empire during that era.

Another figure of note was Johann Nepomuk Korb (1805-1882), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in Central Europe. His extensive collection of plant specimens and detailed observations were instrumental in advancing botanical research during the 19th century.

In the realm of literature, the KORB surname is associated with Wilhelm Korb (1882-1952), a German writer and poet who gained recognition for his novels and short stories depicting rural life in southern Germany.

Moving to the 20th century, Hans Korb (1907-1988) was a German architect who played a crucial role in the reconstruction and urban planning of many German cities after World War II. His innovative designs and emphasis on functionality and sustainability left a lasting impact on the architectural landscape of post-war Germany.

Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of Karl Korb (1923-2009), a German-American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant advancements in the field of artificial intelligence. His work on decision theory and probabilistic reasoning laid the foundation for many modern AI applications.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Korb

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

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 Korb was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.06% 2,197
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.35% 8
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.44% 10
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.61% 14
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.57% 13
Hispanic Origin 1.97% 45

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 Korb has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.06% 97.22% -1.20%
Black 0.35% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.44% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.61% 0.45% 30.19%
Two or More Races 0.57% 0.82% -35.97%
Hispanic 1.97% 1.10% 56.68%

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 Korb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Korb last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/korb-surname-popularity/.

"Korb last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/korb-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Korb last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/korb-surname-popularity/.

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