2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Magerkurth
A German surname likely derived from a geographical location or descriptive name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Magerkurth. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Magerkurth 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Magerkurth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Magerkurth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Magerkurth
The surname Magerkurth has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of the country, particularly in the areas around Pomerania and Mecklenburg.
The name Magerkurth is a compound name, formed from the Germanic words "mager" meaning "lean" or "thin," and "kurth" which is a variant of the name Kurt or Konrad. It is possible that the name initially referred to a person with a slender or thin build.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Magerkurth name can be found in the Pomeranian town of Stralsund, where a certain Hans Magerkurth was documented in the year 1467. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records across northern Germany, including references to a Matthias Magerkurth from the town of Rostock in 1521. Additionally, a Joachim Magerkurth was mentioned as a resident of the city of Lübeck in 1568.
During the 17th century, the Magerkurth name gained some prominence with the life of Johann Magerkurth (1628-1701), a notable Lutheran theologian and author from Pomerania. His writings on religious subjects were widely circulated throughout the region.
Another notable individual bearing the Magerkurth surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Magerkurth (1737-1815), a German jurist and legal scholar from Mecklenburg. He authored several influential treatises on civil law and served as a judge in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
In the 19th century, Carl Magerkurth (1818-1885), a German historian and archivist, made significant contributions to the study of regional history in Pomerania. His works shed light on the cultural and political developments of the area during the Middle Ages.
While the Magerkurth name originated in northern Germany, it eventually spread to other parts of the country and beyond. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era in the regions of Pomerania and Mecklenburg, where it likely emerged as a descriptive surname referring to a person's physical appearance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Magerkurth
Among Census respondents with the surname Magerkurth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Magerkurth 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 Magerkurth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 98
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Magerkurth
Magerkurth 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,922 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-11 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 14,922 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 10,231 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 Magerkurth 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 | #142,108 | #152,339 | -7.2% |
| Count | 117 | 106 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Magerkurth bearers went from 117 to 106 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 10,231 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #152,339.
FAQ
Magerkurth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Magerkurth?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Magerkurth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Magerkurth?
Magerkurth ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Magerkurth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Magerkurth.
Has Magerkurth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Magerkurth went from 117 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Magerkurth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Magerkurth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Magerkurth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Magerkurth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Magerkurth (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 Magerkurth mean?
A German surname likely derived from a geographical location or descriptive name. 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 Magerkurth (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 people have the surname Magerkurth?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.