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

Kum, 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 Kum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kum in America

Kum is the 43438th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kum surname appeared 497 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 Kum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kum 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.

The history of the last name Kum

The surname Kum originated in Germany and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "kumen," which means "to come" or "to arrive." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or town.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kum appears in a document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, dated 1487. This document mentions a man named Hans Kum, who was a baker by trade. It is possible that this individual or his ancestors had recently settled in Rothenburg, leading to the adoption of the surname.

In the 16th century, the name Kum can be found in various records from the regions of Hesse and Saxony. For example, a man named Matthias Kum was born in the village of Großengottern, near Mühlhausen, in 1532. He was a farmer and is mentioned in local tax records from that time.

The Kum surname also appears in some historical documents from the city of Hamburg. In 1618, a merchant named Joachim Kum is listed as a member of the city's merchant guild. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of Germany by the early 17th century.

One notable individual with the surname Kum was Johann Kum, a German composer and organist who lived from 1647 to 1718. He was born in Heidelberg and is best known for his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude, a form of organ music based on Lutheran hymn tunes.

Another significant figure was Karl Kum, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1858 to 1935. He was born in Darmstadt and is known for his work on the design of several cities in Germany, including Frankfurt am Main and Wiesbaden.

In the 19th century, the name Kum also appears in records from the United States, suggesting that some individuals with this surname had emigrated from Germany to America. For example, a man named Heinrich Kum is listed as a resident of Philadelphia in the 1850 census records.

While the surname Kum is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich history that can be traced back several centuries. Its origins are closely tied to the German language and the migration patterns of people within the regions of central and northern Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kum

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

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 Kum was:

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 Kum has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Kum was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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