2000
#56,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Kurtis
Derived from the German word "kurz", meaning short or diminutive.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 421 Americans carry the last name Kurtis. That puts it at #59,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 814,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurtis 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
421
1 in 814,143
Census rank
#59,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
367
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 367 bearers of the surname Kurtis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurtis, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurtis
The surname Kurtis is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Kuonrat, which is composed of the elements "kuon," meaning "brave" or "bold," and "rat," meaning "counsel" or "advice." This name was popularized among German-speaking populations during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kurtis can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name is mentioned in reference to a landowner or nobleman named Konrad Kurtis, who held properties in the region.
The Kurtis surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. In the 16th century, there was a German Protestant reformer named Andreas Kurtis (1484-1546), who was a prominent figure during the Reformation era and played a significant role in the spread of Lutheran teachings.
During the 17th century, a German artist named Johann Kurtis (1604-1670) gained recognition for his intricate woodcarvings and sculptures, which adorned churches and cathedrals across various German cities.
In the 19th century, a German philosopher and writer named Friedrich Kurtis (1822-1896) made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy, publishing several influential works that explored the concept of duty and its role in human behavior.
Another notable figure with the surname Kurtis was a German military officer named Otto Kurtis (1888-1945), who served in the German army during World War I and later became involved in the resistance movement against the Nazi regime during World War II.
While the surname Kurtis has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration patterns and cultural exchange. However, many of the earliest and most significant historical references to this surname can be traced back to its German roots and the individuals who bore this name in various regions of Germany throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurtis
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurtis, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurtis 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 Kurtis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 324
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 19
- Black or African American4.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 4
- Two or more races0.5% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurtis
Kurtis 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
#55,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 369
+31 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 907 places
2020
#59,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 367
-2 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 3,893 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #56,526 | 338 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #55,619 | 369 | 0.13 | +31 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 907 places |
| 2020 | #59,512 | 367 | 0.12 | -2 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 3,893 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 Kurtis 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 | #55,619 | #59,512 | -7.0% |
| Count | 369 | 367 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.12 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurtis bearers went from 369 to 367 (-0.5% change). The surname moved down 3,893 positions in the national ranking, going from #55,619 to #59,512.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kurtis
FAQ
Kurtis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurtis?
Name Census estimates that about 421 living Americans carry the surname Kurtis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 814,143 residents.
How common is Kurtis?
Kurtis ranks #59,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 367 people with the surname Kurtis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Kurtis.
Has Kurtis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurtis went from 369 recorded bearers to 367. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #55,619 to #59,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurtis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurtis, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Kurtis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (324 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurtis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (5.2%), Black (4.6%). 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 Kurtis (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 Kurtis mean?
Derived from the German word "kurz", meaning short or diminutive. 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 Kurtis (0.12 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 Kurtis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.