2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kounkel
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Kounkel. 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 Kounkel 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 Kounkel 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 Kounkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kounkel
The surname KOUNKEL is believed to have originated in Germany. It is likely derived from the German word "Kunkel," which means "spinning top" or "teetotum." This name may have been given to someone who made or sold spinning tops, or it could have been a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered playful or whimsical.
The earliest recorded instances of the KOUNKEL surname date back to the late 16th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. Variations in spelling included Kunckel, Kunkel, and Kunckell.
One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Hans Kunckel, a German glassmaker and alchemist born in 1630. He is known for his work in developing new techniques for coloring glass and for his contributions to the field of chemistry.
Another notable bearer of this name was Johann Kunckel, a German painter and engraver who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His works included portraits and religious scenes, and he is particularly remembered for his engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects.
In the 19th century, a man named Friedrich Kounkel gained recognition as a German-American artist and painter. He was born in 1826 in Germany and later emigrated to the United States, where he became known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West.
The KOUNKEL surname also appears in historical records from the Netherlands and Belgium, possibly due to migration patterns or variations in spelling. One example is Pieter Kounkel, a Dutch merchant and trader who lived in the late 17th century and was involved in the spice trade between the Netherlands and the East Indies.
While not as common as in Germany, the KOUNKEL surname can also be found in some historical records from other European countries, such as France and Switzerland. This suggests that the name may have spread through migration or trade routes over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kounkel
Among Census respondents with the surname Kounkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kounkel 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 Kounkel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 106
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kounkel
Kounkel appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,985 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 Kounkel 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 | #145,220 | #150,205 | -3.4% |
| Count | 114 | 109 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kounkel bearers went from 114 to 109 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,985 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #150,205.
FAQ
Kounkel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kounkel?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Kounkel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Kounkel?
Kounkel 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 Kounkel. 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 Kounkel.
Has Kounkel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kounkel went from 114 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Kounkel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kounkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kounkel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kounkel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kounkel (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 Kounkel mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Kounkel (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 Kounkel?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Kounkel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.