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

Kour, 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 Kour surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kour in America

Kour is the 78567th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kour surname appeared 243 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kour.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kour 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 Kour

The surname KOUR finds its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of Punjab. It is derived from the ancient Sanskrit word "Kuru," which was the name of an ancient kingdom that existed during the Vedic period, around 1000-500 BCE. The Kurus were a prominent clan mentioned in various Hindu texts, including the epic Mahabharata.

KOUR is a variant spelling of the more common surname "KAUR," which is a title used by Sikh women and girls. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Kaurava," which refers to the descendants of the Kuru clan. The use of KOUR as a surname can be traced back to the 16th century, when it was adopted by Sikh families to signify their religious and cultural identity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KOUR can be found in the "Hukumnamas," which were written orders issued by the Sikh Gurus. These manuscripts mention several individuals with the surname KOUR, including Mata Gujri Kour, the wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, who lived in the 17th century.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname KOUR. One such person was Maharani Jind Kaur (1817-1863), who was a prominent ruler of the Sikh Empire and played a crucial role in the First Anglo-Sikh War. Another famous bearer of the name was Sardarni Harbans Kaur (1914-2001), a Sikh activist and one of the founding members of the Akali Dal political party.

Two other prominent individuals with the surname KOUR were Bibi Nanki Kour (1556-1618), the elder sister of Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru, and Bhai Mani Singh Kour (1644-1737), a renowned Sikh scholar and warrior who played a significant role in the Sikh resistance against the Mughal Empire.

While the surname KOUR has its roots in the Sikh community, it has also been adopted by other religious and cultural groups in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the regions of Punjab and Haryana. The name continues to be widely used and holds cultural significance for many families across the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kour

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

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

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

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