2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kumnick
A surname derived from a Polish place name meaning "hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Kumnick. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kumnick 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Kumnick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kumnick
The surname Kumnick originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kumme," which refers to a small valley or hollow. This suggests that the name may have originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near or in a small valley or depression in the landscape.
One of the earliest known references to the name Kumnick can be found in the records of the town of Saxony, where a family by this name was documented in the late 1500s. The name also appears in various church records and official documents from other parts of Germany during the 17th and 18th centuries, with variations in spelling such as Kumnick, Kumnick, and Kumnick.
In the 19th century, the Kumnick surname began to spread more widely across Europe and beyond, as many Germans emigrated to other parts of the world. One notable individual bearing this name was Johann Kumnick, a German-born artist who lived from 1810 to 1887 and was known for his landscape paintings depicting the Bavarian countryside.
Another notable figure with the Kumnick surname was Wilhelm Kumnick, a German historian and author who lived between 1835 and 1912. He wrote extensively on the history of Germany and its various regions, with his seminal work being "The History of the German Empire" published in 1890.
In the early 20th century, the Kumnick name also appeared in the United States, likely brought by German immigrants seeking new opportunities. One such individual was Friedrich Kumnick, a German-born engineer who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and played a significant role in the construction of several major bridges and infrastructure projects in the northeastern United States.
Another notable figure was Anna Kumnick, a German-American author and poet who lived from 1885 to 1962. She published several collections of poetry and essays, many of which explored themes of identity, immigration, and the experience of being a German-American in the early 20th century.
While the Kumnick surname may not be as widespread as some other German names, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from art and literature to engineering and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kumnick
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kumnick 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 Kumnick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kumnick
Kumnick 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+13 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,658 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-14 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,658 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 14,378 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 Kumnick 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 | #131,379 | #145,757 | -10.9% |
| Count | 129 | 115 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kumnick bearers went from 129 to 115 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 14,378 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #145,757.
FAQ
Kumnick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kumnick?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Kumnick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Kumnick?
Kumnick ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Kumnick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Kumnick.
Has Kumnick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kumnick went from 129 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Kumnick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kumnick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kumnick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kumnick (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 Kumnick mean?
A surname derived from a Polish place name meaning "hill". 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 Kumnick (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 Kumnick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.