2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kufeldt
Originally denoting someone who worked as a cooper, making and repairing wooden casks and barrels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Kufeldt. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kufeldt 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Kufeldt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kufeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kufeldt
The surname Kufeldt has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "kuofe," which means "barrel" or "cask." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a profession or trade related to barrel-making or cooperage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in church records from the town of Wittenberg, where a certain Hans Kufeldt was listed as a resident in 1548. This indicates that the name was already well-established in that region by the mid-16th century.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kufeldt name continued to be concentrated primarily in various regions of Germany, such as Saxony, Brandenburg, and Pomerania. During this period, several notable individuals bearing the name emerged, including Johann Kufeldt (1635-1710), a respected Lutheran theologian and author from Mecklenburg.
As German immigration to other parts of Europe and the New World increased in the 19th century, the Kufeldt name began to spread more widely. One prominent figure from this era was Karl Kufeldt (1811-1887), a Prussian-born military officer who served in the German army during the wars of unification.
In the 20th century, the Kufeldt name continued to be found throughout Germany, as well as in German-speaking communities in other countries. Notable individuals included the writer and journalist Paul Kufeldt (1899-1972), who was born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) and lived much of his life in Berlin.
Other individuals of note with the Kufeldt surname include the artist and illustrator Gerhard Kufeldt (1910-1994), born in Düsseldorf, and the German-American businessman and philanthropist Kurt Kufeldt (1924-2012), who emigrated to the United States after World War II and became a successful entrepreneur.
While the Kufeldt name has its deepest roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by German immigrants and their descendants. However, its origins can be traced back to the 16th century and the Old German word for "barrel" or "cask," reflecting the name's likely connection to the cooperage trade in its earliest history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kufeldt
Among Census respondents with the surname Kufeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kufeldt 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 Kufeldt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kufeldt
Kufeldt 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
#120,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
+20 bearers (+16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 6,999 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-24 bearers (-16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,862 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,187 | 144 | 0.05 | +20 bearers (+16.1%) | Up 6,999 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-16.7%) | Down 21,862 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 Kufeldt 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 | #120,187 | #142,049 | -18.2% |
| Count | 144 | 120 | -16.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kufeldt bearers went from 144 to 120 (-16.7% change). The surname moved down 21,862 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,187 to #142,049.
FAQ
Kufeldt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kufeldt?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Kufeldt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Kufeldt?
Kufeldt ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Kufeldt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Kufeldt.
Has Kufeldt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kufeldt went from 144 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 24 (-16.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,187 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Kufeldt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kufeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) 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 Kufeldt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kufeldt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Black (2.5%), 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 Kufeldt (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 Kufeldt mean?
Originally denoting someone who worked as a cooper, making and repairing wooden casks and barrels. 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 Kufeldt (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 Kufeldt?
Find out how common the surname Kufeldt is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.