2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kuhnell
An Americanized spelling of the German surname Kühnl, a locative name from a place so named.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kuhnell. 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 Kuhnell 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 Kuhnell 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 Kuhnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuhnell
The surname Kuhnell has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Kuhnel," which means "small valley" or "hollow." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived in a small valley or hollow area.
One of the earliest known records of the Kuhnell surname can be found in the town of Kuhnel, located in the region of Bavaria, Germany. It's possible that the name originated in this area and was later adopted by families living there or nearby.
In the 15th century, a man named Hans Kuhnell was recorded as a landowner in the village of Oberammergau, near the Bavarian Alps. This is one of the earliest known individuals with the Kuhnell surname.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kuhnell name appeared in various German church records and tax rolls, indicating that the family had spread to different parts of the country. Some variations in spelling, such as Kuhnelle and Kuehnell, were also documented during this time.
One notable individual with the Kuhnell surname was Johann Kuhnell, a German composer and organist who lived from 1660 to 1723. He served as the court composer for the Prince-Bishop of Wurzburg and is known for his contributions to the development of the North German organ school.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Kuhnell, a German politician and lawyer who was born in 1836 and served as a member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, a German artist named Erich Kuhnell (1903-1993) gained recognition for his paintings and etchings, which often depicted rural landscapes and scenes from his native Bavaria.
Other notable individuals with the Kuhnell surname include the German writer and journalist Helga Kuhnell (1912-1998) and the Austrian writer and playwright Hanns Kuhnell (1891-1967).
While the Kuhnell name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the German regions, where it likely originated as a reference to a geographic location or feature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuhnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuhnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuhnell 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 Kuhnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuhnell
Kuhnell 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,624 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,624 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,578 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 Kuhnell 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 | #151,532 | #147,954 | 2.4% |
| Count | 108 | 112 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuhnell bearers went from 108 to 112 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,578 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kuhnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuhnell?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kuhnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kuhnell?
Kuhnell 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 Kuhnell. 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 Kuhnell.
Has Kuhnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuhnell went from 108 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuhnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuhnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Kuhnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuhnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (6.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Kuhnell (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 Kuhnell mean?
An Americanized spelling of the German surname Kühnl, a locative name from a place so named. 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 Kuhnell (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 are called Kuhnell?
See how many people are called Kuhnell on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.