2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kunzi
A German surname referring to one from the town of Kunitz in Prussia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Kunzi. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kunzi 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Kunzi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kunzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kunzi
The surname Kunzi originated in Germany and Switzerland, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "Kunz," a diminutive form of the personal name Konrad or Conrad. The earliest known record of this surname dates back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany.
During the medieval period, the use of surnames became more widespread, often reflecting a person's occupation, location, or a distinguishing physical characteristic. In the case of Kunzi, the surname likely referred to someone who was a son or descendant of a person named Kunz or Konrad.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Kunzi surname can be found in the Weingarten Codex, a 13th-century manuscript from the Weingarten Abbey in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. This codex contains records of land transactions and legal proceedings, mentioning several individuals with the Kunzi surname.
The name Kunzi also appeared in various historical records and documents throughout the 14th and 15th centuries in Switzerland. For instance, a certain Hans Kunzi was mentioned in the municipal records of Zurich in 1438, indicating the surname's presence in the region.
Notably, the Kunzi surname has been associated with several influential figures throughout history. Johann Kunzi (1550-1611) was a Swiss theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland. Johann Jakob Kunzi (1734-1817) was a Swiss politician and statesman who served as the mayor of Zurich and played a crucial role in the Helvetic Republic during the Swiss Revolutionary period.
Another notable individual with the Kunzi surname was Friedrich Kunzi (1815-1893), a Swiss politician and jurist who served as the President of the Swiss Federal Council in 1881 and 1884. In the realm of literature, Rudolf Kunzi (1917-1989) was a Swiss author and poet renowned for his works exploring the themes of nature and spirituality.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Kunzi surname was Konrad Kunzi, a 13th-century landowner and nobleman from the Swabian region of Germany. Records indicate that he owned substantial properties and holdings in the area around present-day Stuttgart.
The variations in spelling and regional variations of the surname are also noteworthy. In certain regions of Germany and Switzerland, the surname was sometimes spelled as Kunze, Kunzig, or Künzi, reflecting local dialects and pronunciation differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kunzi
Among Census respondents with the surname Kunzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kunzi 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 Kunzi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 106
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kunzi
Kunzi 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+13 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,690 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 3,690 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,064 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 Kunzi 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 | #140,157 | #147,221 | -5.0% |
| Count | 119 | 113 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kunzi bearers went from 119 to 113 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #147,221.
FAQ
Kunzi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kunzi?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Kunzi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Kunzi?
Kunzi ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Kunzi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Kunzi.
Has Kunzi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kunzi went from 119 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Kunzi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kunzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kunzi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kunzi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Black (2.7%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kunzi (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 Kunzi mean?
A German surname referring to one from the town of Kunitz in Prussia. 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 Kunzi (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 are called Kunzi?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Kunzi, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.