2000
#7,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,849
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Kurz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) nickname for a short person, derived from Middle High German kurz meaning "short."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,356 Americans carry the last name Kurz. That puts it at #8,346 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,686 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurz 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kurz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,686
Census rank
#8,346
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,799 bearers of the surname Kurz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8346th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurz
The surname Kurz has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "kurz," meaning "short" or "brief." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or an occupational name given to someone with a short stature or someone who performed a task that was brief or temporary in nature.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Kurz surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, there is a mention of a "Henricus Curz" in the year 1263.
Another early reference to the Kurz name appears in the Staatsarchiv Nürnberg, a historical archive in the city of Nuremberg, which contains records from the 14th century mentioning individuals with the surname Kurz.
In the 15th century, the Kurz surname gained prominence in the region of Franconia, located in present-day Bavaria. During this period, the city of Nuremberg was a major center of trade and commerce, and several notable Kurz families were involved in various industries and professions.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Kurz surname was Konrad Kurz, a merchant and alderman in Nuremberg, who lived from around 1400 to 1470. Another prominent figure was Hans Kurz, a renowned goldsmith and artist who was active in Nuremberg in the late 15th century.
The Kurz surname also has a long history in Austria, where it is believed to have been introduced by German settlers in the Middle Ages. One of the most notable Austrians with this surname was Eduard Kurz (1838-1911), a renowned historian and archivist who made significant contributions to the study of Austrian history.
In the 16th century, the Kurz surname spread to other parts of Europe, including Switzerland and the Netherlands. In Switzerland, the name was sometimes spelled as "Kurtz," and in the Netherlands, it took the form of "Kortz" or "Kort."
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the Kurz surname, including Isolde Kurz (1853-1944), an Austrian writer and poet; Hermann Kurz (1813-1873), a German writer and poet; and Gerhard Kurz (1890-1957), a German architect and urban planner.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurz 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 Kurz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 3,450
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 176
- Two or more races3.1% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 34
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurz
Kurz 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
#8,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,874
+25 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 531 places
2020
#8,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,799
-75 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,973 | 3,849 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,504 | 3,874 | 1.31 | +25 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 531 places |
| 2020 | #8,346 | 3,799 | 1.27 | -75 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 158 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 Kurz 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 | #8,504 | #8,346 | 1.9% |
| Count | 3,874 | 3,799 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.27 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurz bearers went from 3,874 to 3,799 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,504 to #8,346.
FAQ
Kurz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurz?
Name Census estimates that about 4,356 living Americans carry the surname Kurz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,686 residents.
How common is Kurz?
Kurz ranks #8,346 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,799 people with the surname Kurz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,356), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kurz.
Has Kurz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurz went from 3,874 recorded bearers to 3,799. That is a decrease of 75 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,504 to #8,346.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Kurz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (3,450 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Kurz (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 Kurz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) nickname for a short person, derived from Middle High German kurz meaning "short." 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 Kurz (1.27 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 Americans have the surname Kurz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.