2000
#53,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 365
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Korda
A surname of Hungarian origin meaning "string" or "rope maker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 372 Americans carry the last name Korda. That puts it at #66,015 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 921,383 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Korda 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
372
1 in 921,383
Census rank
#66,015
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
324
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 324 bearers of the surname Korda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 66015th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Korda, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Korda
The surname Korda originates from Hungary, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Hungarian word "korda," which means "cord" or "rope," suggesting a possible occupational origin for individuals involved in rope-making or related trades.
The Korda name can be found in various historical documents, including parish records and municipal archives from regions like Transylvania and central Hungary. One of the earliest documented instances is a reference to a Petrus Korda in a land registry from the town of Kolozsvár (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania) in 1492.
In the 16th century, the Korda surname appeared in the Urbarium of Szepesi, a historical record of landowners and serfs in the Szepes region of northern Hungary (now part of Slovakia). This document mentions several Korda families residing in villages like Poprad and Levoča.
Notable individuals with the Korda surname include Sir Alexander Korda (1893-1956), a Hungarian-born British filmmaker and producer who co-founded London Film Productions and directed classics like "The Private Life of Henry VIII" and "The Thief of Bagdad." His brothers, Zoltán Korda (1895-1961) and Vincent Korda (1897-1979), were also successful in the film industry as directors and art directors, respectively.
Another prominent figure was Mihály Korda (1866-1933), a Hungarian politician and lawyer who served as Minister of Justice in the early 20th century. He played a significant role in the legal reforms and modernization efforts in Hungary during that period.
János Korda (1922-1988) was a renowned Hungarian architect and urban planner who contributed to the design of several notable buildings and urban developments in Budapest and other cities in the country.
The Korda name has also been associated with various places and localities throughout Hungary and neighboring regions. For instance, the village of Korda in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hungary, bears a striking resemblance to the surname, although the connection between the two is not entirely clear.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Korda
Among Census respondents with the surname Korda, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Korda 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 Korda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 296
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 13
- Two or more races2.2% · 7
- Black or African American1.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Korda
Korda 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
#57,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 353
-12 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 4,448 places
2020
#66,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 324
-29 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 8,376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,191 | 365 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,639 | 353 | 0.12 | -12 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 4,448 places |
| 2020 | #66,015 | 324 | 0.11 | -29 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 8,376 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 Korda 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 | #57,639 | #66,015 | -14.5% |
| Count | 353 | 324 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.11 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Korda bearers went from 353 to 324 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 8,376 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,639 to #66,015.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Korda
FAQ
Korda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Korda?
Name Census estimates that about 372 living Americans carry the surname Korda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 921,383 residents.
How common is Korda?
Korda ranks #66,015 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 324 people with the surname Korda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (372), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Korda.
Has Korda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Korda went from 353 recorded bearers to 324. That is a decrease of 29 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #57,639 to #66,015.
What does the Census say about the background of Korda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Korda, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Korda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (296 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Korda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Korda (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 Korda mean?
A surname of Hungarian origin meaning "string" or "rope maker". 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 Korda (0.11 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 have the last name Korda?
See how many people have the last name Korda on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.