2000
#3,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.53
Uncommon Last name
Kunz
A German surname derived from the given name Konrad, meaning "brave counsel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,193 Americans carry the last name Kunz. That puts it at #3,563 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kunz 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kunz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,622
Census rank
#3,563
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,761 bearers of the surname Kunz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3563rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kunz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kunz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kunz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kunz 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 Kunz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 9,014
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 353
- Two or more races2.6% · 256
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 87
- Black or African American0.3% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kunz
Kunz 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
#3,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,953
+423 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 3.37
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#3,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,761
-192 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 3.27
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,436 | 9,530 | 3.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,578 | 9,953 | 3.37 | +423 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #3,563 | 9,761 | 3.27 | -192 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 15 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 Kunz 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 | #3,578 | #3,563 | 0.4% |
| Count | 9,953 | 9,761 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.37 | 3.27 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kunz bearers went from 9,953 to 9,761 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,578 to #3,563.
FAQ
Kunz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kunz?
Name Census estimates that about 11,193 living Americans carry the surname Kunz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,622 residents.
How common is Kunz?
Kunz ranks #3,563 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,761 people with the surname Kunz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,193), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kunz.
Has Kunz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kunz went from 9,953 recorded bearers to 9,761. That is a decrease of 192 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,578 to #3,563.
What does the Census say about the background of Kunz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kunz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Kunz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (9,014 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kunz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Kunz (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 Kunz mean?
A German surname derived from the given name Konrad, meaning "brave counsel." 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 Kunz (3.27 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 Americans have the surname Kunz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.