2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kottmyer
A German surname derived from the occupation of a charcoal-burner or producer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Kottmyer. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kottmyer 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Kottmyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kottmyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kottmyer
The surname Kottmyer originated in Germany during the late medieval period, likely in the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old High German words "koth" meaning cottage or hut, and "meier" meaning an overseer or bailiff. Thus, the name may have initially referred to someone who oversaw a small group of cottages or a hamlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Germanisches Namenbuch, a compendium of German surnames compiled in the 15th century, where it is spelled "Kothmeier". This suggests the name was already well-established by that time.
In the 16th century, variations of the name began to appear in various historical records across German-speaking regions. For example, the spelling "Kotmyer" is found in a church register from Hesse in 1578, while "Kottmeyer" appears in a land deed from Bavaria in 1602.
Several notable individuals bore this surname throughout history. Hans Kottmyer, a merchant from Augsburg, is mentioned in a trade document from 1492. A century later, Johann Kottmyer (1563-1639) served as a magistrate in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, as German immigrants began settling in other parts of Europe and the Americas, the name spread to new regions. For instance, Jacob Kottmyer (1691-1762) was among the early German settlers in Pennsylvania, arriving in 1734.
Other notable bearers of the name include Friedrich Kottmyer (1796-1858), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars, and Wilhelm Kottmyer (1817-1892), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Frankfurt.
While the surname Kottmyer remains relatively uncommon, it has a rich history spanning centuries and can be traced back to its origins in medieval Germany, where it likely referred to an overseer of a small settlement or group of cottages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kottmyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kottmyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kottmyer 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 Kottmyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 103
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kottmyer
Kottmyer 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,416 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-10 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,048 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 1,416 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 10,048 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 Kottmyer 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 | #140,157 | #150,205 | -7.2% |
| Count | 119 | 109 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kottmyer bearers went from 119 to 109 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 10,048 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #150,205.
FAQ
Kottmyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kottmyer?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Kottmyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Kottmyer?
Kottmyer ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Kottmyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Kottmyer.
Has Kottmyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kottmyer went from 119 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Kottmyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kottmyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Kottmyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kottmyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Kottmyer (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 Kottmyer mean?
A German surname derived from the occupation of a charcoal-burner or producer. 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 Kottmyer (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 are called Kottmyer?
Want to know how common the surname Kottmyer is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.