Kulow last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Kulow is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kulow.

Meaning of Kulow

A surname of German origins, possibly referring to a small hill or elevation.

Kulow, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kulow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kulow in America

Kulow is the 31994th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kulow surname appeared 721 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kulow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kulow to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 31994 32488 -1.53%
Count 721 667 7.78%
Proportion per 100k 0.24 0.25 -4.08%

The history of the last name Kulow

The surname Kulow has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the northern region of Germany, particularly in the areas around the cities of Hamburg and Lübeck. The name is derived from the Old German word "kulowe," which referred to a small, rounded hill or a mound.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kulow can be found in the church records of St. Petri in Hamburg, where a certain Hans Kulow was mentioned as a resident of the city in 1492. The name also appears in the tax records of Lübeck from the early 16th century, indicating its presence in that region during that time.

In the 17th century, the Kulow surname gained prominence with the rise of a notable family of merchants and traders in the city of Hamburg. Johann Kulow (1620-1687) was a prominent figure in the city's mercantile circles, and his descendants continued to play a significant role in the city's economic and social life for several generations.

Another notable bearer of the Kulow name was Friedrich Kulow (1765-1832), a German philosopher and writer who was born in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely read and influenced the intellectual discourse of his time.

As the Kulow family spread across Germany and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Kuhlau, Kuhlow, and Kulau. One notable individual with a similar spelling was Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832), a German-Danish composer and pianist who made significant contributions to the development of Danish music.

In the 19th century, the Kulow surname also found its way to other parts of Europe and beyond. Carl Kulow (1832-1901) was a German-born artist and painter who spent much of his life in Italy, where he gained recognition for his landscape and genre paintings.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals bearing the Kulow surname throughout history, but the name has undoubtedly been carried by many others who have left their mark in various fields and endeavors over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kulow

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kulow.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kulow was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 84.88% 612
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.77% 20
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.22% 16
Hispanic Origin 9.02% 65

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kulow has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 84.88% 92.80% -8.91%
Black 2.77% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.90% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.22% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 9.02% 5.40% 50.21%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kulow was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kulow, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Kulow last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on April 26, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/kulow-surname-popularity/.

"Kulow last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/kulow-surname-popularity/. Accessed 26 April, 2025

Kulow last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/kulow-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.