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

Kort, 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 Kort surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kort in America

Kort is the 17502nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kort surname appeared 1,610 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 Kort.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kort 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 Kort

The surname Kort has its origins in the Netherlands, where it first appeared in the early 15th century. The name is derived from the Dutch word "kort," meaning "short" or "brief." It was likely originally a descriptive nickname or occupational surname given to someone of short stature or someone who worked in a trade that involved brevity, such as a messenger or courier.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kort can be found in the archives of the city of Leiden, where a man named Willem Kort is mentioned in a document dated 1428. The name also appears in various Dutch records and manuscripts from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the chronicles of the city of Haarlem.

In the 16th century, the Kort surname began to spread beyond the Netherlands as Dutch settlers and traders established colonies and trading posts around the world. One notable individual from this period was Jan Kort, a Dutch explorer and navigator who was part of the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies in 1595.

Another significant figure bearing the Kort surname was Pieter Kort, a Dutch cartographer and engraver who lived from 1635 to 1715. He is best known for his detailed maps of the Netherlands and the surrounding regions, which were highly regarded for their accuracy and artistry.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Kort surname continued to be found throughout the Netherlands and in Dutch communities around the world. One notable individual from this period was Jacob Kort, a Dutch-American artist who lived from 1819 to 1887 and is known for his landscape paintings of the American West.

Another individual of note was Gerrit Kort, a Dutch-American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Born in the Netherlands in 1835, he immigrated to the United States and served in the Union Army, rising to the rank of captain.

The Kort surname has also been associated with various place names over the centuries, such as Kortrijk (also known as Courtrai) in Belgium and Kortenberg in the Netherlands. These locations may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kort

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

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

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

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