2000
#6,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,494
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Kurth
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kurz," meaning short or small in stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,189 Americans carry the last name Kurth. That puts it at #7,121 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,054 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurth 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
5.2K
1 in 66,054
Census rank
#7,121
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,525 bearers of the surname Kurth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7121st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurth
The surname Kurth has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, which was a powerful state within the Holy Roman Empire. The name is derived from the Old German word "kurt," which means "short" or "small."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kurth can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dated around 1180. This document mentions a person named "Conradus Kurth," indicating that the name was in use during that time period.
In the 13th century, the Kurth surname appeared in various records and manuscripts throughout the German-speaking regions of Europe. For example, a document from the city of Mainz in 1245 references a "Johannes Kurth," who was likely a prominent citizen or landowner.
The name Kurth has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest examples is Johannes Kurth, a German theologian and writer who lived from 1491 to 1568. He was known for his writings on the Protestant Reformation and his involvement in the religious debates of his time.
Another notable figure with the surname Kurth was Gottlob Kurth, a German historian and educator who lived from 1763 to 1832. He served as the director of the prestigious Gymnasium in Zittau, Saxony, and was renowned for his contributions to the study of history and classical literature.
In the 19th century, the name Kurth gained prominence through the work of Gottfried Kurth, a German-American architect and civil engineer who lived from 1845 to 1914. He was instrumental in the design and construction of several notable buildings and infrastructure projects in the United States, including the original Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
Another significant bearer of the Kurth name was Ernst Kurth, a German musicologist and music theorist who lived from 1886 to 1946. He is best known for his groundbreaking work on the analysis of musical form and his contributions to the field of music theory.
In more recent times, the Kurth surname has been carried by individuals such as Jürgen Kurth, a German football player who played for several Bundesliga clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, and Helmut Kurth, a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union who served in the Bundestag from 1990 to 2009.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurth
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurth 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 Kurth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 4,199
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 138
- Two or more races2.7% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
- Black or African American0.5% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurth
Kurth 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
#6,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,951
+457 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Up 78 places
2020
#7,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,525
-426 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,891 | 4,494 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,813 | 4,951 | 1.68 | +457 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 78 places |
| 2020 | #7,121 | 4,525 | 1.51 | -426 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 308 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 Kurth 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 | #6,813 | #7,121 | -4.5% |
| Count | 4,951 | 4,525 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.51 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurth bearers went from 4,951 to 4,525 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 308 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,813 to #7,121.
FAQ
Kurth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurth?
Name Census estimates that about 5,189 living Americans carry the surname Kurth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,054 residents.
How common is Kurth?
Kurth ranks #7,121 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,525 people with the surname Kurth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kurth.
Has Kurth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurth went from 4,951 recorded bearers to 4,525. That is a decrease of 426 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,813 to #7,121.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Kurth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (4,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (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 Kurth (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 Kurth mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kurz," meaning short or small in stature. 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 Kurth (1.51 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 surname Kurth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.