2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kottmeier
A German occupational surname referring to a cowherd or cattle herder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kottmeier. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kottmeier 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Kottmeier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kottmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kottmeier
The surname KOTTMEIER is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German words "kot" meaning "cottage" or "hut," and "meier" meaning "manager" or "overseer." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was a steward or overseer of a cottage or small estate.
The earliest recorded instances of the name KOTTMEIER can be found in various German historical records and manuscripts dating back to the 14th century. One notable example is Johann Kottmeier, a farmer from the village of Büren in the Westphalia region, who was mentioned in a land registry document dated 1387.
In the 16th century, the name KOTTMEIER appeared in several church records in the town of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony. One such record from 1542 mentions a Hans Kottmeier, who was a local merchant.
During the 17th century, the KOTTMEIER name gained prominence in the city of Hamburg, where several members of the family were involved in the shipping and trading industries. One notable figure was Joachim Kottmeier (1618-1692), a successful merchant and ship owner.
In the 19th century, several individuals with the surname KOTTMEIER made significant contributions to various fields. For instance, Friedrich Wilhelm Kottmeier (1807-1879) was a German botanist and naturalist who conducted extensive research on plant species in the Rhineland region.
Another notable figure was Karl Kottmeier (1855-1923), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in the cities of Cologne and Bonn, including the Bonn Opera House.
As the KOTTMEIER family spread across Germany and beyond, the name underwent some minor spelling variations, such as Kotmeier, Kottmeyer, and Kottmayer, but the core form remained largely intact.
While the surname KOTTMEIER is not among the most common German surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals who have made contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kottmeier
Among Census respondents with the surname Kottmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kottmeier 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 Kottmeier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kottmeier
Kottmeier 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+14 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,631 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-16 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 3,631 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 15,748 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 Kottmeier 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 | #132,206 | #147,954 | -11.9% |
| Count | 128 | 112 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kottmeier bearers went from 128 to 112 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 15,748 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kottmeier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kottmeier?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kottmeier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kottmeier?
Kottmeier ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Kottmeier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kottmeier.
Has Kottmeier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kottmeier went from 128 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kottmeier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kottmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Kottmeier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kottmeier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (0.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Kottmeier (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 Kottmeier mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a cowherd or cattle herder. 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 Kottmeier (0.04 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 share the surname Kottmeier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.