2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Korty
A surname derived from the Germanic word "kort" meaning short or small.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 181 Americans carry the last name Korty. That puts it at #116,774 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,893,670 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Korty 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
181
1 in 1,893,670
Census rank
#116,774
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
158
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 158 bearers of the surname Korty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 116774th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Korty, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Korty
The surname Korty has its origins in the German language, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the late 15th century. The name is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire during that period.
One of the earliest known references to the Korty name can be found in a registry of citizens in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which dates back to 1492. The entry lists a certain Hans Korty, who was a blacksmith by trade. This provides evidence that the name was already in use in southern Germany during the late medieval period.
Linguists have suggested that the Korty name may be derived from the German word "kort," which means "short" or "small." This could indicate that the name was originally a descriptive surname, given to someone of shorter stature or smaller build. However, it's also possible that the name originated from a place name or a variant spelling of a particular location.
In the 16th century, records show that the Korty name had spread to other parts of Germany, with families bearing the name residing in cities such as Nuremberg and Augsburg. One notable individual from this era was Johannes Korty, a Protestant theologian born in 1541 who taught at the University of Jena and authored several religious texts.
As the centuries progressed, the Korty surname continued to be found throughout Germany and other parts of Europe. In the 18th century, a German artist named Johann Korty gained recognition for his landscape paintings and etchings. He was born in 1721 in the town of Weimar and is considered one of the earliest exponents of the Romantic movement in German art.
During the 19th century, the Korty name also made its way to the United States, with immigrants from Germany and other European countries bringing the surname to the New World. One notable American with the Korty surname was William Korty, a politician and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1986 to 1989.
Other individuals of historical significance with the Korty surname include Friedrich Korty, a German military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars (1771-1856), and Erich Korty, a German-American filmmaker and producer who directed the 1967 film "The Green Slime" (1917-2003).
While the Korty name has its roots in Germany and can be traced back to the late medieval period, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by families and individuals who have contributed to various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Korty
Among Census respondents with the surname Korty, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Korty 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 Korty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 138
- Two or more races5.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Korty
Korty 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
#120,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
+8 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,947 places
2020
#116,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 158
+15 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 4,127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,901 | 143 | 0.05 | +8 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 1,947 places |
| 2020 | #116,774 | 158 | 0.05 | +15 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 4,127 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 Korty 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 | #120,901 | #116,774 | 3.4% |
| Count | 143 | 158 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Korty bearers went from 143 to 158 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 4,127 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,901 to #116,774.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Korty
FAQ
Korty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Korty?
Name Census estimates that about 181 living Americans carry the surname Korty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,893,670 residents.
How common is Korty?
Korty ranks #116,774 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 158 people with the surname Korty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Korty.
Has Korty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Korty went from 143 recorded bearers to 158. That is an increase of 15 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #120,901 to #116,774.
What does the Census say about the background of Korty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Korty, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Korty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Korty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Korty (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 Korty mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic word "kort" meaning short or small. 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 Korty (0.05 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 Korty?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Korty on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.