2000
#11,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,396
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Kull
A Germanic surname derived from a short form of Konrad, meaning "brave counsel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,327 Americans carry the last name Kull. That puts it at #14,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,295 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kull 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
2.3K
1 in 147,295
Census rank
#14,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,029 bearers of the surname Kull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kull, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kull
The surname KULL has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kulle," which means "hill" or "mound." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a hill or a raised area of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the German town of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, where a man named Hans Kull was mentioned in a parish register in 1584. Another early reference is from the town of Ebersberg in Bavaria, where a Johannes Kull was listed in a tax record from 1612.
In the 17th century, the name KULL began to spread across different regions of Germany. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Georg Kull, a German composer and organist who lived from 1640 to 1707. He served as the court organist for the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg and was renowned for his contributions to sacred music.
As the name KULL spread throughout Germany, it also found its way into various regions of Europe. In the 18th century, a Swedish scientist named Adam Kull (1718-1795) gained recognition for his work in botany and mineralogy. He was appointed as the professor of natural history at the University of Uppsala and made significant contributions to the classification of plants and minerals.
Another prominent figure with the surname KULL was the German artist and illustrator Rudolf Kull (1856-1924). He was known for his illustrations in children's books and magazines, as well as for his paintings depicting scenes from German folklore and rural life.
In the 20th century, the name KULL gained further recognition through the work of Estonian writer and politician Jakob Kull (1899-1944). He was a prominent figure in the Estonian independence movement and served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Estonia in the early 1940s.
While the surname KULL originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where it is sometimes spelled as "CULL" or "KUHLL." However, the name's roots can be traced back to the German word "Kulle" and its association with hills or raised landforms.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kull
Among Census respondents with the surname Kull, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kull 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 Kull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,867
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 72
- Two or more races2.3% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kull
Kull 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
#11,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,701
+305 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 344 places
2020
#14,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,029
-672 bearers (-24.9%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 2,591 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,958 | 2,396 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,614 | 2,701 | 0.92 | +305 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 344 places |
| 2020 | #14,205 | 2,029 | 0.68 | -672 bearers (-24.9%) | Down 2,591 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 Kull 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 | #11,614 | #14,205 | -22.3% |
| Count | 2,701 | 2,029 | -24.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.68 | -26.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kull bearers went from 2,701 to 2,029 (-24.9% change). The surname moved down 2,591 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,614 to #14,205.
FAQ
Kull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kull?
Name Census estimates that about 2,327 living Americans carry the surname Kull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,295 residents.
How common is Kull?
Kull ranks #14,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,029 people with the surname Kull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,327), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Kull.
Has Kull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kull went from 2,701 recorded bearers to 2,029. That is a decrease of 672 (-24.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,614 to #14,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Kull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kull, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kull (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 Kull mean?
A Germanic surname derived from a short form of Konrad, meaning "brave counsel." 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 Kull (0.68 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 Kull?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.