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

Kunkel, 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 Kunkel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kunkel in America

Kunkel is the 3736th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kunkel surname appeared 9,488 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Kunkel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kunkel 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 Kunkel

The surname Kunkel has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "kunkel," which referred to a spindle or a distaff used in spinning thread. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to someone who worked in the textile industry or was involved in spinning or weaving.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Kunkel can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various German regions, such as Bavaria and Saxony. In some historical documents, the name appeared with slight variations in spelling, including Kunckel, Kunckell, and Kunckel.

One notable historical reference to the name Kunkel can be found in the Weissenburger Stadtbuch, a medieval chronicle from the city of Weissenburg, which mentions a individual named Kunrad Kunkel in the year 1350.

Among the earliest recorded individuals bearing the surname Kunkel was Johannes Kunkel, a German alchemist and glassmaker who lived from 1630 to 1703. He is known for his contributions to the development of phosphorus and his work on glass production techniques.

Another prominent figure was Johann Philipp Kunkel, a German chemist and physician who lived from 1669 to 1749. He made significant contributions to the fields of chemistry and medicine, and is particularly renowned for his work on the preparation of antimony-based compounds.

In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Kunkel (1720-1786) was a German mathematician and astronomer who worked as a professor at the University of Leipzig. He is notable for his contributions to spherical trigonometry and his observations of the transit of Venus in 1761.

In the realm of literature, Johann Christian Kunkel (1744-1807) was a German writer and journalist who published several novels and satirical works during the Enlightenment period.

Lastly, in the field of music, Johann Kunkel (1890-1958) was a German composer and conductor who worked in the early 20th century. He is known for his operas and orchestral works, which were influenced by the Romantic and Impressionist styles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kunkel

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

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

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

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