2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kurdy
A surname potentially derived from Kurdish, referring to someone of Kurdish descent or origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Kurdy. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurdy 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Kurdy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurdy
The surname Kurdy is of Czech origin, originating from the region of Bohemia in the 14th century. It is believed to derive from the Czech word "kurda," which means a type of curved or hooked knife or dagger. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who made or carried such a weapon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kurdy can be found in the records of the town of Kutná Hora, located in central Bohemia. These records, dating back to the late 1300s, mention a blacksmith named Jan Kurdy who was known for his skill in forging blades and knives.
In the 15th century, the name Kurdy appeared in the municipal records of the city of Prague. These records refer to a merchant named Václav Kurdy, who dealt in various goods, including weapons and armor. This suggests that the name may have been associated with the trade of arms and military equipment during that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Kurdy spread across other parts of the Czech lands, including Moravia and Silesia. Several notable individuals bearing this name emerged during this period, such as Jindřich Kurdy, a renowned architect who designed several churches and palaces in the city of Olomouc in the late 16th century.
Another prominent figure with the surname Kurdy was Jan Kurdy, a Czech military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He served under the command of Albrecht von Wallenstein and played a significant role in several battles during the conflict.
In the 18th century, the Kurdy surname appeared in various records from the region of Bohemia, including land registries and tax records. One notable individual from this period was Karel Kurdy, a wealthy landowner and patron of the arts, who commissioned several works of art and literature from prominent Czech artists and writers of the time.
As the Kurdy family continued to spread across the Czech lands, the name underwent some variations in spelling, such as Kurdi, Kurdý, and Kurděj. However, the original form of Kurdy remained the most commonly used throughout history.
Throughout the centuries, several other notable individuals have carried the surname Kurdy, including Václav Kurdy, a Czech politician and diplomat in the 19th century, and Jaroslav Kurdy, a renowned Czech composer and musician in the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurdy
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurdy 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 Kurdy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 85
- Two or more races11.0% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurdy
Kurdy appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-14 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,462 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 10,462 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 Kurdy 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 | #145,220 | #155,682 | -7.2% |
| Count | 114 | 100 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurdy bearers went from 114 to 100 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 10,462 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #155,682.
FAQ
Kurdy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurdy?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Kurdy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Kurdy?
Kurdy ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Kurdy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kurdy.
Has Kurdy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurdy went from 114 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurdy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Kurdy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurdy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Two or More Races (11.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Kurdy (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 Kurdy mean?
A surname potentially derived from Kurdish, referring to someone of Kurdish descent or origin. 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 Kurdy (0.03 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 have the last name Kurdy?
You can see how common the surname Kurdy is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.