2000
#6,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,571
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Kunkle
Derived from the German surname Kunkel, referring to a maker or seller of distaffs used in spinning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,091 Americans carry the last name Kunkle. That puts it at #7,247 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,326 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kunkle 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
5.1K
1 in 67,326
Census rank
#7,247
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,440 bearers of the surname Kunkle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7247th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kunkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kunkle
The surname Kunkle has its origins in the German language, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the regions of southern Germany, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the Old German word "kunkel," which means "spindle" or "distaff," referring to the tool used for spinning yarn or thread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kunkle can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 8th to the 13th centuries. In this collection, there is a record of a individual named "Cunradus Kunkele" who lived in the town of Esslingen, near Stuttgart, in the year 1298.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name appeared in various town records and archives across southern Germany. For instance, a merchant named Hans Kunkle was documented in the city of Augsburg in 1437, while a farmer named Jakob Kunkle was recorded in the village of Rottenburg am Neckar in 1492.
As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Kunkel, Kunkell, and Kunkler. These variations often reflected local dialects or the preferences of individual families.
One notable individual bearing the Kunkle surname was Johann Kunkle, a Lutheran theologian and reformer who lived from 1519 to 1574. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany and authored several influential theological works.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Kunkle, a German architect and engineer who lived from 1736 to 1801. He designed several important buildings, including the Alte Oper in Frankfurt and the Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, many Germans emigrated to various parts of the world, including North America. This led to the spread of the Kunkle surname beyond its German origins. One such individual was Johann Georg Kunkle, who was born in 1789 in Baden and later settled in Pennsylvania, where he established a successful farming community.
As the name continued to disperse globally, it underwent further variations in spelling and pronunciation. In some cases, the name was anglicized to Kunkel or Kunckle, particularly in English-speaking countries.
Throughout history, the surname Kunkle has been associated with various occupations, from artisans and merchants to farmers and intellectuals. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark across different regions and cultures, reflecting the rich tapestry of German heritage and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kunkle
Among Census respondents with the surname Kunkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kunkle 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 Kunkle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 4,149
- Two or more races3.0% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kunkle
Kunkle 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
#7,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,682
+111 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 344 places
2020
#7,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,440
-242 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,798 | 4,571 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,142 | 4,682 | 1.59 | +111 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 344 places |
| 2020 | #7,247 | 4,440 | 1.49 | -242 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 105 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 Kunkle 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 | #7,142 | #7,247 | -1.5% |
| Count | 4,682 | 4,440 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.49 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kunkle bearers went from 4,682 to 4,440 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,142 to #7,247.
FAQ
Kunkle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kunkle?
Name Census estimates that about 5,091 living Americans carry the surname Kunkle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,326 residents.
How common is Kunkle?
Kunkle ranks #7,247 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,440 people with the surname Kunkle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,091), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Kunkle.
Has Kunkle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kunkle went from 4,682 recorded bearers to 4,440. That is a decrease of 242 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,142 to #7,247.
What does the Census say about the background of Kunkle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kunkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Kunkle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (4,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kunkle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Kunkle (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 Kunkle mean?
Derived from the German surname Kunkel, referring to a maker or seller of distaffs used in spinning. 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 Kunkle (1.49 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 share the surname Kunkle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.