2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kurzdorfer
A German surname meaning someone from Kurzdorf (short village).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Kurzdorfer. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurzdorfer 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Kurzdorfer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurzdorfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurzdorfer
The surname KURZDORFER originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late medieval or early modern period. It is a locative surname, meaning that it derives from a place name or geographic location.
The name KURZDORFER is thought to have originated from a combination of two German words: "kurz" meaning short or small, and "dorf" meaning village or hamlet. Therefore, the name likely referred to someone who lived in or came from a small village or hamlet, possibly one with a name that included the word "kurz."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KURZDORFER surname appears in a 16th-century document from the region of Bavaria, in what is now southern Germany. The document mentions a certain Hans KURZDORFER, a landowner and farmer from a village near the town of Rosenheim.
In the 17th century, the name KURZDORFER can be found in church records and tax rolls from various German-speaking regions, including Saxony, Thuringia, and Austria. One notable individual from this period was Johann KURZDORFER (1620-1688), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who served in several parishes in Saxony.
The 18th century saw the spread of the KURZDORFER name to other parts of Europe and the world, as German-speaking communities migrated and established settlements in new territories. For example, there are records of a Maria KURZDORFER (1732-1801) who was among the early German settlers in the Russian Empire, residing in a village near Odessa.
In the 19th century, the KURZDORFER surname appears in various genealogical records and historical documents from across the German-speaking regions of Europe. One prominent figure was Emil KURZDORFER (1852-1923), an Austrian-born engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early internal combustion engines.
Another notable individual with the KURZDORFER surname was Karl KURZDORFER (1876-1944), a German composer and music educator who worked in various cities throughout Germany and Austria-Hungary during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the KURZDORFER surname has its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, historical records and genealogical resources from the medieval and early modern periods in Germany and neighboring regions provide the most comprehensive information on the origins and early development of this distinctive locative surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurzdorfer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurzdorfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurzdorfer 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 Kurzdorfer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurzdorfer
Kurzdorfer 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,228 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 5,228 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 1,152 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 Kurzdorfer 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 | #140,157 | #141,309 | -0.8% |
| Count | 119 | 121 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurzdorfer bearers went from 119 to 121 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 1,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #141,309.
FAQ
Kurzdorfer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurzdorfer?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Kurzdorfer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Kurzdorfer?
Kurzdorfer ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Kurzdorfer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kurzdorfer.
Has Kurzdorfer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurzdorfer went from 119 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurzdorfer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurzdorfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Kurzdorfer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurzdorfer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Kurzdorfer (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 Kurzdorfer mean?
A German surname meaning someone from Kurzdorf (short village). 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 Kurzdorfer (0.04 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 Kurzdorfer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.