2000
#66,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 279
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Kure
A topographic surname likely referring to someone who lived near a curing or salt-evaporating plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 345 Americans carry the last name Kure. That puts it at #70,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 993,491 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kure 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
345
1 in 993,491
Census rank
#70,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
301
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 301 bearers of the surname Kure in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 70147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kure, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%) and Hispanic (10.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kure
The surname Kure has its origins in Norway, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "kur," which means "cattle" or "cows." This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who worked with livestock, perhaps as a farmer or a herdsman.
In the earliest records, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Kure," "Kuhr," and "Kuhre," reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Norwegian census records from the 16th century, where a man named Ole Kure was listed as a resident of the village of Trondheim.
The Kure surname gained prominence in the 17th century, when a family of that name owned a large farm and estate in the Østfold region of Norway. The patriarch of this family, Hans Kure (1625-1692), was a prominent landowner and a respected member of the local community.
During the 18th century, the Kure name began to spread beyond Norway as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Scandinavia and Europe. One notable figure from this period was Carl Fredrik Kure (1754-1827), a Swedish naval officer who distinguished himself in the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790.
In the 19th century, the Kure surname found its way to the United States, as Norwegian immigrants settled in various parts of the country. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Nils Kure (1828-1903), who arrived in Wisconsin in the 1850s and became a successful farmer.
Other notable individuals with the Kure surname include:
1. Gunnar Kure (1892-1971), a Norwegian painter and art professor known for his landscapes and portraits.
2. Henning Kure (1899-1983), a Norwegian athlete who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
3. Elise Kure (1915-2001), a Danish author and children's book writer who published over 30 books during her career.
4. Jens Kure (1923-2003), a Norwegian politician who served as a member of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament) for several terms.
5. Ingrid Kure (born 1961), a Norwegian actress and television personality who has appeared in numerous films and TV series.
While the origins of the Kure surname can be traced back to medieval Norway, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by generations of individuals with a shared heritage and a connection to the name's historical roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kure
Among Census respondents with the surname Kure, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%) and Hispanic (10.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kure 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 Kure surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.1% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.6% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 32
- Black or African American9.0% · 27
- Two or more races5.0% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kure
Kure 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
#71,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 271
-8 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 5,612 places
2020
#70,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 301
+30 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 1,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,274 | 279 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #71,886 | 271 | 0.09 | -8 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 5,612 places |
| 2020 | #70,147 | 301 | 0.10 | +30 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 1,739 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 Kure 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 | #71,886 | #70,147 | 2.4% |
| Count | 271 | 301 | 11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kure bearers went from 271 to 301 (+11.1% change). The surname moved up 1,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #71,886 to #70,147.
FAQ
Kure surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kure?
Name Census estimates that about 345 living Americans carry the surname Kure. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 993,491 residents.
How common is Kure?
Kure ranks #70,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 301 people with the surname Kure. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Kure.
Has Kure become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kure went from 271 recorded bearers to 301. That is an increase of 30 (+11.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #71,886 to #70,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Kure?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kure, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%) and Hispanic (10.6%). 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 Kure in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.1% (190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kure appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%), Hispanic (10.6%). 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 Kure (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 Kure mean?
A topographic surname likely referring to someone who lived near a curing or salt-evaporating plant. 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 Kure (0.10 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 Kure?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Kure at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.