2000
#10,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,877
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Kuhlmann
A German occupational surname referring to someone who kept or traded cattle, derived from the Middle High German "kuol."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,285 Americans carry the last name Kuhlmann. That puts it at #10,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,339 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuhlmann 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
3.3K
1 in 104,339
Census rank
#10,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,865 bearers of the surname Kuhlmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuhlmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuhlmann
The surname Kuhlmann is of German origin, derived from the Middle Low German word "kole" meaning "charcoal" and "man" meaning "man", thus referring to a charcoal maker or charcoal burner. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas where charcoal production was a significant industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kuhlmann can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century. The name is also mentioned in various medieval records from the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Kuhlmann was Johannes Kuhlmann, a German poet and mystic born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) in 1628. He gained recognition for his spiritual writings and his advocacy for religious tolerance.
Another famous bearer of the name was Quirinus Kuhlmann, a Dutch poet and religious writer born in Breslau in 1651. He was known for his unconventional beliefs and his writings on mysticism and spirituality.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure was Johann Christian Kuhlmann, a German theologian and philosopher born in 1708 in Magdeburg. He made significant contributions to the field of natural theology and was recognized for his work in reconciling religious beliefs with scientific discoveries.
The 19th century saw the emergence of Friedrich Kuhlmann, a German industrialist and engineer born in 1828 in Essen. He played a crucial role in the development of the steel industry in the Ruhr region and was a pioneer in the use of the Bessemer process for steel production.
Throughout history, the surname Kuhlmann has been associated with various place names, such as Kuhlmannshof and Kuhlmannsfeld, which were likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who lived or owned property in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuhlmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuhlmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuhlmann 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 Kuhlmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,655
- Two or more races3.2% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuhlmann
Kuhlmann 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
#10,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,981
+104 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 451 places
2020
#10,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,865
-116 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,266 | 2,877 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,717 | 2,981 | 1.01 | +104 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 451 places |
| 2020 | #10,652 | 2,865 | 0.96 | -116 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 65 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 Kuhlmann 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 | #10,717 | #10,652 | 0.6% |
| Count | 2,981 | 2,865 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.96 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuhlmann bearers went from 2,981 to 2,865 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,717 to #10,652.
FAQ
Kuhlmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuhlmann?
Name Census estimates that about 3,285 living Americans carry the surname Kuhlmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,339 residents.
How common is Kuhlmann?
Kuhlmann ranks #10,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,865 people with the surname Kuhlmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,285), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Kuhlmann.
Has Kuhlmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuhlmann went from 2,981 recorded bearers to 2,865. That is a decrease of 116 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,717 to #10,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuhlmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuhlmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Kuhlmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuhlmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Kuhlmann (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 Kuhlmann mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who kept or traded cattle, derived from the Middle High German "kuol." 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 Kuhlmann (0.96 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 Kuhlmann?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.