2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kuefner
A German surname meaning "cooper" or "barrel maker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Kuefner. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuefner 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Kuefner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuefner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuefner
The surname Kuefner is of German origin, originating in the southern regions of the country. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "kufer," which referred to a cooper or barrel-maker. This occupational surname likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, dating back to the year 1482. The entry mentions a certain Hans Kuefner, a cooper by trade. Another early reference comes from the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Franconia, where a Kuefner family is documented as residing in the 16th century.
The spelling of the name has undergone some variations over time, with alternative forms such as Küfner, Kueffner, and Kufner appearing in historical documents. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the evolution of the German language.
Interestingly, the name Kuefner is also associated with a small village called Küfnerhof, located in the district of Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg. This place name is believed to have derived from the Kuefner surname, possibly indicating that a family of coopers once lived or worked in the area.
Notable individuals with the surname Kuefner include Johann Kuefner (1780-1855), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in Augsburg. Another prominent figure was Theodor Kuefner (1843-1917), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) in the late 19th century.
In the realm of arts and literature, the name Kuefner is associated with the German writer and poet Max Kuefner (1892-1962), known for his works depicting rural life in Bavaria. Additionally, the American artist and illustrator Walter Kuefner (1917-1995) gained recognition for his illustrations in magazines such as Sports Illustrated and National Geographic.
Lastly, a noteworthy figure in the field of science was the German physicist and engineer Ernst Kuefner (1890-1970), who made significant contributions to the development of aerodynamics and aircraft design during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuefner
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuefner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuefner 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 Kuefner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuefner
Kuefner 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+6 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,314 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-32 bearers (-21.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,548 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 3,314 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -32 bearers (-21.6%) | Down 27,548 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 Kuefner 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 | #117,480 | #145,028 | -23.4% |
| Count | 148 | 116 | -21.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuefner bearers went from 148 to 116 (-21.6% change). The surname moved down 27,548 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #145,028.
FAQ
Kuefner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuefner?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Kuefner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Kuefner?
Kuefner ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Kuefner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Kuefner.
Has Kuefner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuefner went from 148 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 32 (-21.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuefner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuefner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Kuefner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuefner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Kuefner (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 Kuefner mean?
A German surname meaning "cooper" or "barrel maker". 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 Kuefner (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 share the surname Kuefner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.