Find out how popular the last name Kurtzman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kurtzman.

Kurtzman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kurtzman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kurtzman in America

Kurtzman is the 30442nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kurtzman surname appeared 767 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kurtzman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kurtzman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kurtzman

The surname Kurtzman is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region known as the Rhineland, which encompasses parts of western Germany, the Netherlands, and eastern France.

One possible derivation of the name Kurtzman is from the German word "kurz," meaning short or brief, combined with the suffix "man," signifying a person. This could suggest that the name was initially applied as a descriptive nickname to someone of shorter stature.

Another theory proposes that Kurtzman may have evolved from a place name, such as Kurzmanteln or Kurzenberg, where the family may have originally resided. Place names were often incorporated into surnames during the Middle Ages as a means of identifying individuals and their place of origin.

The earliest recorded instances of the Kurtzman name can be found in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1583, a record in the town of Trier, Germany, mentions a certain Hans Kurtzman, a merchant and landowner. Additionally, the Kurtzman name appears in the parish records of the village of Oberwesel, located along the Rhine River, in the year 1612.

One notable figure bearing the Kurtzman surname was Johann Kurtzman, a renowned clockmaker and inventor who lived in Nuremberg, Germany, from 1650 to 1721. His intricate timepieces and mechanical devices were highly sought after by the nobility and royalty of the time.

In the 18th century, a branch of the Kurtzman family migrated to the United States, settling in the state of Pennsylvania. Among the earliest recorded Kurtzmans in America was Jacob Kurtzman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1753 and later served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Albert Kurtzman, a German-American artist and cartoonist born in 1924. He is best known for his contributions to the satirical comic book series "Mad" and for co-founding the iconic humor magazine "Humbug."

The surname Kurtzman also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. For instance, Isaac Kurtzman, born in 1876, was a prominent Jewish businessman and philanthropist who settled in Odessa, Ukraine, in the late 19th century.

Throughout its long history, the Kurtzman name has been associated with various professions, from skilled artisans and merchants to scholars and professionals in diverse fields, reflecting the rich tapestry of human endeavors and experiences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kurtzman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kurtzman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kurtzman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kurtzman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kurtzman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kurtzman, please contact us.

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