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

Kunz, 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 Kunz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kunz in America

Kunz is the 3578th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kunz surname appeared 9,953 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 Kunz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kunz 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 Kunz

The surname Kunz originated in the Germanic regions of Europe, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a variant of the name Conrad, derived from the Old German words "kuon" (brave) and "rat" (counsel), implying a person of courageous wisdom. The name was initially spelled as Kuntz, Kunz, or Kunze, with regional variations across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kunz appears in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Emmerammi, a medieval manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of St. Emmeram in Regensburg, Germany, dating back to the 11th century. The document mentions a certain "Chunradus dictus Chunz" (Conrad called Kunz) who made a land donation to the monastery.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Kunz von Kauffungen, a German knight and ministerialis (unfree knight in service to a secular or ecclesiastical lord) who participated in the Crusades and is mentioned in the chronicles of the Teutonic Knights.

Another historical figure was Kunz von der Rosen, a 14th-century German poet and Minnesinger (a tradition of German love poetry) from the region of Thuringia. His poems and songs were widely circulated and appreciated in his time.

In the 15th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Kunz von Kaufungen, a German nobleman and military leader who served as a commander during the Hussite Wars against the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia.

During the 16th century, the name Kunz was associated with the humanist scholar and playwright Konrad Kunz (1460-1534), who taught at the University of Vienna and authored several Latin plays and works on grammar.

Throughout history, the surname Kunz has been linked with various place names, such as Kunzendorf (a village in Saxony, Germany), Kunzelsau (a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany), and Kunzweiler (a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany), reflecting the geographical spread and establishment of families bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kunz

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

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

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

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