2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kudler
A German surname derived from the personal name "Kudler" meaning "sweet" or "charming."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kudler. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kudler 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Kudler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kudler
The surname Kudler has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kodler," which was an occupational surname referring to individuals who made or sold coats or cloaks. The earliest known spelling variations of the name include Kodler, Kotteler, and Kotler.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kudler can be found in the town of Nuremberg, where a family by the name of Kodler resided in the late 1500s. Historical records indicate that a Johann Kodler was a prominent tailor in the city during this time period.
In the 17th century, the name Kudler began to spread across various regions of Germany, with families bearing this surname settling in areas such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Swabia. Some notable individuals from this era include Hans Kudler (1615-1687), a respected baker and merchant in the town of Augsburg, and Anna Kudler (1638-1701), a renowned herbalist and midwife in the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
As the centuries progressed, the Kudler name continued to be associated with various trades and professions, including tailoring, weaving, and leatherworking. In the 19th century, a prominent figure was Friedrich Kudler (1832-1901), a successful businessman and philanthropist from the city of Leipzig.
Other notable individuals with the surname Kudler include the German painter and printmaker, Wilhelm Kudler (1857-1932), and the Austrian writer and poet, Else Kudler (1887-1964). Additionally, the name has been linked to several place names in Germany, such as Kudlerstadt, a small village in Bavaria.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many Kudler families emigrated from Germany to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, carrying their surname with them to these new lands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kudler
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kudler 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 Kudler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kudler
Kudler 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+9 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 400 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,797 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 400 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,797 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 Kudler 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 | #140,157 | #147,954 | -5.6% |
| Count | 119 | 112 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kudler bearers went from 119 to 112 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,797 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kudler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kudler?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kudler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kudler?
Kudler ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Kudler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Kudler.
Has Kudler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kudler went from 119 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kudler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Kudler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kudler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Kudler (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 Kudler mean?
A German surname derived from the personal name "Kudler" meaning "sweet" or "charming." 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 Kudler (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 have the last name Kudler?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Kudler, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.