2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kulle
A locational surname indicating a person from a hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Kulle. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kulle 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Kulle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kulle
The surname Kulle originated in Germany, likely in the northern regions. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "kulle," which means "bald" or "hairless." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was bald or had minimal hair.
The earliest known records of the name Kulle date back to the 16th century. In 1534, a record mentions a Johannes Kulle from the town of Lübeck, located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Another early reference can be found in the church records of Rostock, a city in the neighboring state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where a Hinrich Kulle was mentioned in 1587.
Over the centuries, variations in spelling and regionalization led to slight differences in the name's form. For instance, some records show the name as "Kulle," while others have it as "Kuhl" or "Kuhle." These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and the preferences of record-keepers at the time.
One notable bearer of the Kulle surname was Johann Kulle, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1670 to 1743. His works, primarily depicting religious scenes and portraits, can be found in various churches and museums across Germany.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Kulle, a German philosopher, and scholar who lived from 1775 to 1842. He was a professor at the University of Göttingen and made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, a Johann Kulle (1820-1892) gained recognition as a prominent architect in the city of Hamburg. He designed several notable buildings, including the Hamburg Stock Exchange and the Christianskirche.
The name Kulle can also be traced back to place names in Germany. For example, there is a village called Kulle in the state of Lower Saxony, which may have influenced the surname's development in that region.
While the Kulle surname has its roots in northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, carried by individuals who migrated or established new families in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kulle
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kulle 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 Kulle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 98
- Black or African American4.6% · 5
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kulle
Kulle 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,865 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+7 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,777 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 15,865 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.9%) | Up 8,777 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 Kulle 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 | #159,712 | #150,935 | 5.5% |
| Count | 101 | 108 | 6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kulle bearers went from 101 to 108 (+6.9% change). The surname moved up 8,777 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #150,935.
FAQ
Kulle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kulle?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Kulle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Kulle?
Kulle ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Kulle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Kulle.
Has Kulle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kulle went from 101 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 7 (+6.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Kulle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Kulle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kulle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Black (4.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Kulle (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 Kulle mean?
A locational surname indicating a person from a hill or mound. 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 Kulle (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 Kulle?
See how common the surname Kulle is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.