2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Undercuffler
A surname derived from an obsolete occupation, possibly one who made or sold undercuffs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Undercuffler. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Undercuffler 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Undercuffler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Undercuffler, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Undercuffler
The surname Undercuffler has its origins in the Germanic language family, with possible roots tracing back to the Old High German words "ūntar" meaning "under" and "kuffelaere," which referred to a maker or seller of baskets or containers. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, denoting an individual who crafted or traded items related to baskets or containers used for storage or transportation.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical records from the southern regions of present-day Germany, dating back to the late 12th century. One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was Johann Undercuffler, a skilled basketmaker from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, mentioned in a guild register from 1189.
As the name spread across Central Europe, various spelling variations emerged, including Underkuffler, Undertuffler, and Untertöffler, reflecting regional linguistic differences. In the 14th century, the name appears in several manuscripts and town records from various regions of the Holy Roman Empire, indicating its widespread usage.
Notably, the Undercuffler family played a role in the historical events surrounding the Peasants' War of 1524-1525, a series of uprisings against the ruling classes in parts of Germany and neighboring regions. Hans Undercuffler, a farmer and basket weaver from the town of Memmingen, was recorded as a prominent figure among the rebel forces during this time.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence in the Alsace region, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. One notable figure was Matthias Undercuffler (1522-1589), a respected scholar and theologian who authored several treatises on religious philosophy and served as a professor at the University of Strasbourg.
As the name spread further across Europe, it found its way to the British Isles, where it underwent anglicization to the spelling "Undercuffler." In 1642, during the English Civil War, a Captain John Undercuffler is mentioned in records as leading a company of musketeers in the Parliamentarian forces.
Over the subsequent centuries, the Undercuffler name continued to be present in various parts of Europe, with individuals bearing the surname making contributions in various fields, such as Johann Undercuffler (1698-1771), a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, and Wilhelm Undercuffler (1810-1879), a celebrated composer and conductor from Vienna.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Undercuffler
Among Census respondents with the surname Undercuffler, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Undercuffler 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 Undercuffler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Undercuffler
Undercuffler 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+26 bearers (+24.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 14,570 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-25 bearers (-18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +26 bearers (+24.3%) | Up 14,570 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.8%) | Down 22,686 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 Undercuffler 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 | #128,249 | #150,935 | -17.7% |
| Count | 133 | 108 | -18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Undercuffler bearers went from 133 to 108 (-18.8% change). The surname moved down 22,686 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #150,935.
FAQ
Undercuffler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Undercuffler?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Undercuffler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Undercuffler?
Undercuffler ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Undercuffler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Undercuffler.
Has Undercuffler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Undercuffler went from 133 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Undercuffler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Undercuffler, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Undercuffler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Undercuffler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Undercuffler (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 Undercuffler mean?
A surname derived from an obsolete occupation, possibly one who made or sold undercuffs. 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 Undercuffler (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 last name Undercuffler?
You can see how many people have the last name Undercuffler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.