2000
#7,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Kutz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname derived from the German word "kurz," meaning "short" or someone of small stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,276 Americans carry the last name Kutz. That puts it at #8,491 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kutz 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
4.3K
1 in 80,158
Census rank
#8,491
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,729 bearers of the surname Kutz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8491st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kutz
The surname Kutz has its origins in the German language, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century in the southern regions of Germany. The name is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "Kutz," meaning "short" or "curt," possibly referring to a person of diminutive stature or a descriptive nickname for an individual with a particular physical attribute.
Historically, the name Kutz can be found in various forms of German documentation, including baptismal records, tax rolls, and municipal archives from the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable early reference is the appearance of the name in the Ortsfamilienbuch, a comprehensive record of families and their genealogies compiled in the town of Wittenberg, Germany, during the late 16th century.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Kutz was Hans Kutz, born in 1534 in the village of Obrigheim, located in what is now the state of Baden-Württemberg. Hans Kutz was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants can be traced through parish records and local chronicles.
Another prominent figure associated with the name Kutz was Johann Kutz, a Lutheran theologian and scholar who lived from 1592 to 1657. Johann Kutz was a professor at the University of Wittenberg and authored several influential works on theology and biblical exegesis.
During the 18th century, the surname Kutz spread beyond its traditional heartland in southern Germany, with families bearing the name settling in other regions, including Prussia and the Rhineland. One notable individual from this period was Friedrich Kutz, a German soldier and military engineer who served under Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).
In the 19th century, the Kutz surname gained a foothold in the United States, as German immigrants sought new opportunities in the rapidly expanding nation. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Johann Kutz, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1832 from the German state of Hesse.
Another figure of historical significance bearing the surname Kutz was Carl Kutz, a German-American artist and sculptor who lived from 1846 to 1921. Carl Kutz was renowned for his monumental sculptures and public works, including the iconic statue of William Penn atop Philadelphia's City Hall.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kutz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kutz 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 Kutz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 3,486
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 96
- Two or more races2.3% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kutz
Kutz 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
#8,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,930
+31 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 533 places
2020
#8,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,729
-201 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,875 | 3,899 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,408 | 3,930 | 1.33 | +31 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 533 places |
| 2020 | #8,491 | 3,729 | 1.25 | -201 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 83 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 Kutz 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 | #8,408 | #8,491 | -1.0% |
| Count | 3,930 | 3,729 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.25 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kutz bearers went from 3,930 to 3,729 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,408 to #8,491.
FAQ
Kutz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kutz?
Name Census estimates that about 4,276 living Americans carry the surname Kutz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,158 residents.
How common is Kutz?
Kutz ranks #8,491 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,729 people with the surname Kutz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Kutz.
Has Kutz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kutz went from 3,930 recorded bearers to 3,729. That is a decrease of 201 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,408 to #8,491.
What does the Census say about the background of Kutz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kutz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (3,486 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kutz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kutz (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 Kutz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname derived from the German word "kurz," meaning "short" or someone of small stature. 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 Kutz (1.25 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 Kutz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.