2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kummerfeldt
A German occupational surname derived from the word "kummer" meaning sorrow or grief.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kummerfeldt. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kummerfeldt 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kummerfeldt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kummerfeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kummerfeldt
The surname Kummerfeldt is believed to have originated in the German states, specifically in the northern regions near the Baltic Sea. The name likely dates back to the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
Kummerfeldt is thought to be derived from the Old German words "Kummer" and "Feld", which respectively mean "sorrow" and "field". This combination suggests the name may have referred to a field or area associated with sadness or hardship, possibly relating to a historical event or the difficult conditions endured by early bearers of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kummerfeldt name can be found in a 16th-century manuscript from the town of Lübeck, which was a prominent member of the Hanseatic League. This document mentions a merchant named Hans Kummerfeldt, who was born around 1520 and was involved in the lucrative Baltic trade routes.
In the 17th century, a prominent Kummerfeldt family emerged in the Duchy of Pomerania, now part of modern-day Germany and Poland. Johann Kummerfeldt, born in 1622, was a respected Lutheran theologian and author who served as the rector of the University of Greifswald.
Another notable figure was Karl Friedrich Kummerfeldt, a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1788, he rose to the rank of Major General and was awarded the prestigious Pour le Mérite order for his bravery and leadership.
During the 19th century, the Kummerfeldt name spread further across Germany and into neighboring regions. One prominent bearer was Ernst Kummerfeldt, a German architect born in 1853, who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.
In the early 20th century, a Kummerfeldt family established themselves in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. This branch included Gustaf Kummerfeldt, a successful businessman and philanthropist who donated generously to various charitable causes in the region.
While the Kummerfeldt name has its roots in northern Germany and the Baltic region, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by various individuals and families over the centuries. However, its origins and earliest documented examples remain deeply tied to the historical landscapes of Germany and its neighboring areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kummerfeldt
Among Census respondents with the surname Kummerfeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kummerfeldt 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 Kummerfeldt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino11.8% · 14
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kummerfeldt
Kummerfeldt 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
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,531 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,531 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Up 5,559 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 Kummerfeldt 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 | #142,788 | 3.7% |
| Count | 111 | 119 | 7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kummerfeldt bearers went from 111 to 119 (+7.2% change). The surname moved up 5,559 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kummerfeldt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kummerfeldt?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kummerfeldt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kummerfeldt?
Kummerfeldt ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Kummerfeldt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Kummerfeldt.
Has Kummerfeldt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kummerfeldt went from 111 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 8 (+7.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kummerfeldt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kummerfeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Kummerfeldt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kummerfeldt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Hispanic (11.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Kummerfeldt (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 Kummerfeldt mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the word "kummer" meaning sorrow or grief. 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 Kummerfeldt (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 Kummerfeldt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.