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

Kupfer, 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 Kupfer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kupfer in America

Kupfer is the 21842nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kupfer surname appeared 1,190 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kupfer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kupfer 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 Kupfer

The surname Kupfer is of German origin, derived from the German word "Kupfer" meaning copper. It likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked with copper, such as a coppersmith or a miner of copper ore.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Kupfer can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany. Records indicate that the name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland, where copper mining and metalworking were common industries.

One of the earliest known references to the name Kupfer can be found in the Stadtbücher (city records) of Freiberg, Saxony, dating back to the late 14th century. These records mention several individuals with the surname Kupfer, likely indicating their connection to the local copper mining industry.

In the 15th century, the name Kupfer appeared in various legal documents and municipal records across different German cities and towns. For example, a certain Hans Kupfer is mentioned in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Nuremberg in 1472.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Kupfer. One of the earliest was Johannes Kupfer (1453-1521), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting religious and allegorical scenes.

Another notable figure was Wilhelm Kupfer (1628-1693), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Jena. His works on natural philosophy and metaphysics were widely read and influential during his time.

In the 18th century, Johann Gottlieb Kupfer (1741-1810) was a renowned German architect and urban planner. He designed several notable buildings in Berlin and was instrumental in the city's urban development during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The 19th century saw the rise of Carl Kupfer (1829-1902), a German engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the early German steel industry. He founded the Kupfer & Co. steel works in Essen, which later became part of the Krupp industrial empire.

Another notable figure was Elise Kupfer (1872-1943), a German educator and women's rights activist. She was a pioneering advocate for women's education and founded several schools and educational institutions in Berlin and other German cities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kupfer

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

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

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

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