2000
#10,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,782
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Kummer
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kumber," meaning grief, sorrow, or trouble.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,324 Americans carry the last name Kummer. That puts it at #10,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,115 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kummer 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
3.3K
1 in 103,115
Census rank
#10,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,899 bearers of the surname Kummer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kummer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kummer
The surname Kummer is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "Kummer," which means "sorrow" or "grief." This name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who had a solemn or melancholic demeanor.
In the early 13th century, the name Kummer appeared in various Germanic regions, including what is now modern-day Germany and Austria. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Henricus Kummer" is mentioned in a document dated 1241.
The name Kummer has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such figure is Ernst Eduard Kummer, a renowned German mathematician who lived from 1810 to 1893. He made significant contributions to the fields of algebraic number theory and the theory of ideals.
Another prominent individual with the surname Kummer was Friedrich August Kummer, a German architect born in 1797. He was known for his neoclassical designs and his work on the reconstruction of the Berlin Royal Palace in the early 19th century.
In the 16th century, the name Kummer appeared in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a family of tanners and leather workers carried this surname. One member of this family, Hans Kummer, is mentioned in the city's guild records from 1562.
The name Kummer has also been linked to various place names in Germany, such as Kummersbrunn, a village in Bavaria, and Kummersdorf, a former military training ground in Brandenburg. These place names may have derived from the surname or vice versa, indicating the potential geographical roots of the name.
Other notable individuals with the surname Kummer include Friedrich Kummer, a German composer and conductor who lived from 1797 to 1879, and Hermann Kummer, a German politician and member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) in the late 19th century.
It is worth noting that while the surname Kummer has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide insights into the early development and prevalence of this surname within the German-speaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kummer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kummer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kummer 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 Kummer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 2,725
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 68
- Two or more races2.1% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kummer
Kummer 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
#9,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,354
+572 bearers (+20.6%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 903 places
2020
#10,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,899
-455 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,582 | 2,782 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,679 | 3,354 | 1.14 | +572 bearers (+20.6%) | Up 903 places |
| 2020 | #10,554 | 2,899 | 0.97 | -455 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 875 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 Kummer 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 | #9,679 | #10,554 | -9.0% |
| Count | 3,354 | 2,899 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 0.97 | -14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kummer bearers went from 3,354 to 2,899 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 875 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,679 to #10,554.
FAQ
Kummer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kummer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,324 living Americans carry the surname Kummer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,115 residents.
How common is Kummer?
Kummer ranks #10,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,899 people with the surname Kummer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,324), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Kummer.
Has Kummer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kummer went from 3,354 recorded bearers to 2,899. That is a decrease of 455 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,679 to #10,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Kummer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kummer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Kummer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,725 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kummer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Kummer (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 Kummer mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kumber," meaning grief, sorrow, or trouble. 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 Kummer (0.97 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 last name Kummer?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Kummer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.