2000
#7,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,171
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Kucera
A Czech occupational surname referring to a curly-haired person or a person with a curly coat of arms.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,525 Americans carry the last name Kucera. That puts it at #8,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kucera 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
4.5K
1 in 75,747
Census rank
#8,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,946 bearers of the surname Kucera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kucera, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kucera
The surname Kucera is of Czech origin, derived from the word "kucera" which means "curly-haired" or "having curly hair." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or descriptive name in the Czech lands during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Kucera can be traced back to the 14th century in historical records from Bohemia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. The name is also found in various forms of spelling, such as Kuczera, Kučera, and Kučera, in various regions of what is now the Czech Republic.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jan Kucera, a Czech nobleman who lived in the late 14th century and served as a councilor to King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. Another notable figure was Václav Kucera, a Czech priest and writer who lived in the 16th century and authored several religious texts.
During the 17th century, the surname Kucera appears in various records from the town of Litomerice, located in the northern part of Bohemia. The name is also found in the records of the nearby town of Terezin, which was once a fortified military town and later became infamous as a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.
One of the most prominent figures with the surname Kucera was Jan Kucera, a Czech mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1607 to 1682. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was among the first to study the orbit of comets.
Another notable individual was Frantisek Kucera, a Czech painter and illustrator who lived from 1751 to 1824. He is renowned for his religious paintings and frescoes, which can be found in various churches and cathedrals throughout the Czech Republic.
In the 19th century, the surname Kucera gained recognition with the birth of Josef Kucera, a Czech composer and conductor who lived from 1835 to 1899. He composed several operas and orchestral works and was instrumental in promoting Czech classical music.
While the surname Kucera is primarily associated with the Czech lands, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with historical Czech or Slavic populations. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Czech cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kucera
Among Census respondents with the surname Kucera, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kucera 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 Kucera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 3,731
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 104
- Two or more races1.7% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kucera
Kucera 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
#8,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,058
-113 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 806 places
2020
#8,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,946
-112 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,362 | 4,171 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,168 | 4,058 | 1.38 | -113 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 806 places |
| 2020 | #8,050 | 3,946 | 1.32 | -112 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 118 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 Kucera 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 | #8,168 | #8,050 | 1.4% |
| Count | 4,058 | 3,946 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.32 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kucera bearers went from 4,058 to 3,946 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,168 to #8,050.
FAQ
Kucera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kucera?
Name Census estimates that about 4,525 living Americans carry the surname Kucera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,747 residents.
How common is Kucera?
Kucera ranks #8,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,946 people with the surname Kucera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kucera.
Has Kucera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kucera went from 4,058 recorded bearers to 3,946. That is a decrease of 112 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,168 to #8,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Kucera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kucera, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Kucera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (3,731 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kucera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Kucera (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 Kucera mean?
A Czech occupational surname referring to a curly-haired person or a person with a curly coat of arms. 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 Kucera (1.32 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 Kucera?
If you just want to know how many people are called Kucera, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.