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

Koury, 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 Koury surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Koury in America

Koury is the 17063rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Koury surname appeared 1,664 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Koury.

We can also compare 2010 data for Koury 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 Koury

The surname KOURY has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in Lebanon and Syria. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "Qura," meaning "village" or "town." The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries in the region that is now known as Lebanon.

In the historical records of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over the Levant region during that time, the name KOURY appeared in various documents, such as tax registers and census records. One notable example is the mention of a family with the surname KOURY in a 17th-century manuscript documenting the administrative divisions of the Sidon-Acre region in present-day Lebanon.

The KOURY surname is closely associated with the city of Beit Chabab, located in the Mount Lebanon Governorate. This area was home to many prominent KOURY families, some of whom played significant roles in the social and economic life of the region during the 18th and 19th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname KOURY was Youssef KOURY, born in 1734 in Beit Chabab. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his descendants continued to hold influential positions in the local community for generations.

Another notable figure was Georges KOURY (1810-1887), a renowned scholar and philosopher from Beit Chabab. He authored several works on theology and philosophy, and his writings were widely circulated throughout the Middle East during his lifetime.

In the 20th century, the KOURY surname gained international recognition with individuals like Michel KOURY (1905-1975), a successful businessman and philanthropist who played a pivotal role in the development of modern-day Beirut.

The name KOURY also has connections to other parts of the Levant region, such as Syria and Palestine. In the late 19th century, members of the KOURY family migrated from Lebanon to these areas, contributing to the spread and diversification of the surname.

One prominent individual from this period was Najib KOURY (1868-1942), a Syrian-Palestinian businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Jaffa (now part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel) in the early 20th century.

While the KOURY surname has its roots in the Middle East, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical origins and connections to the Levant region remain a significant part of its rich heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Koury

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!