2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kurty
A surname possibly derived from the Old German word "kurti," meaning "short" or "little."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Kurty. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurty 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Kurty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurty, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurty
The surname Kurty has its origins in the Czech Republic, traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the old Czech word "kurta," meaning a short cloak or jacket worn by peasants and commoners. This suggests the name may have been initially associated with someone who wore such clothing or perhaps involved in its production.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a manuscript from 1287, which mentions a "Jan Kurty" from the village of Olešnice, near the city of Brno. This could indicate that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
During the 14th century, the surname appears in various records across Bohemia, including the town of Kutná Hora, which was known for its silver mines. It is possible that some individuals with the name Kurty may have been employed in these mines or related industries.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Mikuláš Kurty (1432-1497) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Litomyšl. His wealth and influence suggest that the name had gained some prominence by that point.
Another historical reference comes from the 16th century, where a 1529 census record from the village of Račice mentions a family headed by a man named Tomáš Kurty. This provides evidence of the surname's continued use and spread throughout the Czech lands.
Over the centuries, the name has also been found in various spellings, such as Kurthy, Kurti, and Kurti, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.
Other notable individuals with the surname include:
1. Jan Kurty (1682-1743), a renowned architect who designed several churches and buildings in Prague.
2. Václav Kurty (1798-1867), a Czech writer and poet who was part of the Czech National Revival movement.
3. Josefa Kurty (1822-1901), a Czech philanthropist and supporter of women's education.
4. Karel Kurty (1909-1986), a Czech painter and graphic artist known for his landscape and still-life works.
5. Miroslav Kurty (1932-2017), a Czech composer and conductor who wrote several operas and orchestral pieces.
While the surname Kurty may not be among the most common in the Czech Republic today, its long history and varied appearances across different regions and occupations demonstrate its enduring presence in the country's cultural tapestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurty
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurty, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurty 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 Kurty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 101
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurty
Kurty 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-23 bearers (-17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,394 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.4%) | Down 29,394 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,303 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 Kurty 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 | #150,452 | #154,755 | -2.9% |
| Count | 109 | 102 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurty bearers went from 109 to 102 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,755.
FAQ
Kurty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurty?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Kurty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Kurty?
Kurty ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Kurty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Kurty.
Has Kurty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurty went from 109 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurty, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%). 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 Kurty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Kurty (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 Kurty mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Old German word "kurti," meaning "short" or "little." 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 Kurty (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 Kurty?
See how many people have the surname Kurty on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.