2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kumle
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word for "godmother."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Kumle. 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 Kumle 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 Kumle 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 Kumle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kumle
The surname Kumle is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old High German word "kumme," which means "basin" or "bowl." This suggests that the name may have been associated with occupations related to metalworking or pottery-making.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kumle can be found in the town of Goslar, located in the Lower Saxony region of Germany. In the 1560s, a family by the name of Kumle was documented as residing in this historic mining town, which was a prominent center for metalworking during the Middle Ages.
In the 17th century, the Kumle surname appeared in various German church records and tax registers, indicating that the name had spread across various regions of the country. One notable individual from this period was Hans Kumle, a blacksmith born in 1634 in the town of Eisenach, Thuringia.
As the Industrial Revolution gained momentum in the 19th century, many Kumle families were involved in the metalworking and manufacturing industries. A prominent figure from this era was Wilhelm Kumle, a German industrialist born in 1812 in Cologne. He established a successful ironworks company that contributed to the city's economic growth during the industrial boom.
The Kumle surname also found its way to other parts of Europe, including Switzerland and Austria. In the Swiss town of Bern, records from the late 18th century mention a family named Kumle, indicating their presence in the region at that time.
Another notable individual with the Kumle surname was Johann Kumle, a German immigrant to the United States who was born in 1798 in Hesse-Darmstadt. He settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a skilled craftsman, contributing to the growing metalworking industry in the young nation.
While the surname Kumle is not among the most common, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its German roots and associations with metalworking and craftsmanship. Despite its relative rarity, the name has endured over centuries, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields and regions across Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kumle
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kumle 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 Kumle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 100
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kumle
Kumle 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,252 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,588 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 1,252 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,588 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 Kumle 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 | #148,347 | #150,935 | -1.7% |
| Count | 111 | 108 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kumle bearers went from 111 to 108 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,588 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #150,935.
FAQ
Kumle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kumle?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Kumle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Kumle?
Kumle 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 Kumle. 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 Kumle.
Has Kumle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kumle went from 111 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Kumle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Kumle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kumle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Kumle (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 Kumle mean?
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word for "godmother." 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 Kumle (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 have the surname Kumle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.