2000
#58,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Kurkjian
An Armenian surname meaning "belonging to/from Kurg".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 347 Americans carry the last name Kurkjian. That puts it at #69,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 987,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurkjian 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
347
1 in 987,765
Census rank
#69,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
303
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 303 bearers of the surname Kurkjian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurkjian, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurkjian
The surname KURKJIAN is of Armenian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The name is believed to have derived from the Armenian word "kurkur," meaning "crane," suggesting a possible association with a specific trade or occupation related to these birds.
The earliest known record of the KURKJIAN surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in several Armenian manuscripts and church records from the region of Cilicia. This ancient kingdom, located along the Mediterranean coast of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was a center of Armenian culture and commerce during the Middle Ages.
One notable historical figure bearing the KURKJIAN name was Hovhannes Kurkjian, a prominent Armenian scholar and theologian who lived in the 14th century. Kurkjian was renowned for his contributions to the field of Armenian literature and his expertise in religious studies.
In the 16th century, the KURKJIAN name can be found in records from the city of Marash (now Kahramanmaraş, Turkey), which was home to a thriving Armenian community at the time. Petros Kurkjian, born in 1568, was a skilled artisan and calligrapher whose works are still preserved in various Armenian cultural institutions.
As the Armenian diaspora spread across the globe, the KURKJIAN surname traveled with it. In the 19th century, Harutiun Kurkjian, born in 1870 in the Ottoman Empire, became a prominent figure in the Armenian revolutionary movement, advocating for the rights and autonomy of the Armenian people.
Another notable bearer of the KURKJIAN name was Vahan Kurkjian, a celebrated Armenian-American artist and sculptor born in 1907 in Kharpet, Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). Kurkjian's works, which often depicted scenes from Armenian history and culture, are widely exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States and Europe.
Throughout its history, the KURKJIAN surname has maintained a strong connection to Armenian heritage and culture, serving as a testament to the resilience and enduring legacy of the Armenian people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurkjian
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurkjian, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurkjian 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 Kurkjian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 288
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 4
- Two or more races1.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurkjian
Kurkjian 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
#63,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317
-4 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 4,069 places
2020
#69,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 303
-14 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 6,684 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,999 | 321 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,068 | 317 | 0.11 | -4 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 4,069 places |
| 2020 | #69,752 | 303 | 0.10 | -14 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 6,684 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 Kurkjian 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 | #63,068 | #69,752 | -10.6% |
| Count | 317 | 303 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurkjian bearers went from 317 to 303 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 6,684 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,068 to #69,752.
FAQ
Kurkjian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurkjian?
Name Census estimates that about 347 living Americans carry the surname Kurkjian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 987,765 residents.
How common is Kurkjian?
Kurkjian ranks #69,752 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 303 people with the surname Kurkjian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (347), 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 Kurkjian.
Has Kurkjian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurkjian went from 317 recorded bearers to 303. That is a decrease of 14 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #63,068 to #69,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurkjian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurkjian, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Kurkjian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (288 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurkjian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Kurkjian (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 Kurkjian mean?
An Armenian surname meaning "belonging to/from Kurg". 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 Kurkjian (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 are called Kurkjian?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Kurkjian at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.