2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kourt
A topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a court or royal estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Kourt. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kourt 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Kourt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kourt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.9%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kourt
The surname Kourt has its origins in the Netherlands and Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Middle Low German word "kort," which means "short" or "brief." This name may have initially been given as a descriptive nickname for someone of shorter stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kourt can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In this record, a person named Johannes Kourt is mentioned as a witness in a legal document from the year 1295.
During the 16th century, the name Kourt appeared in various Dutch records, particularly in the provinces of Holland and Friesland. One notable example is Pieter Kourt, a merchant from Amsterdam who was born in 1542 and was involved in the Dutch East India Company's trade activities.
In England, the name Kourt can be traced back to the 17th century, possibly introduced by Dutch or German immigrants. One of the earliest known records is that of Thomas Kourt, who was born in London in 1629 and served as a clerk in the royal court.
The surname Kourt has also been associated with various place names throughout Europe. For instance, the town of Kortrijk in Belgium, formerly known as Courtray, may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in certain regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Kourt include:
1. Johannes Kourt (fl. 1295), a witness mentioned in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch from Germany.
2. Pieter Kourt (1542-1612), a Dutch merchant and trader with the East India Company.
3. Thomas Kourt (1629-1698), an English clerk who served in the royal court.
4. Willem Kourt (1720-1789), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and scenes of everyday life.
5. August Kourt (1824-1891), a German philosopher and author who wrote extensively on ethics and morality.
While the surname Kourt may have evolved and been influenced by various regional dialects and spellings over time, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in the Low Countries and Germany, where it likely began as a descriptive nickname for someone of shorter stature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kourt
Among Census respondents with the surname Kourt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.9%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kourt 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 Kourt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 94
- Two or more races10.9% · 12
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kourt
Kourt 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,384 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 3,182 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 Kourt 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 | #152,628 | #149,446 | 2.1% |
| Count | 107 | 110 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kourt bearers went from 107 to 110 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 3,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #149,446.
FAQ
Kourt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kourt?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Kourt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Kourt?
Kourt ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Kourt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Kourt.
Has Kourt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kourt went from 107 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Kourt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kourt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.9%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Kourt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kourt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Two or More Races (10.9%), Black (1.8%). 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 Kourt (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 Kourt mean?
A topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a court or royal estate. 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 Kourt (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 common is the surname Kourt?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Kourt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.