Vonnegut
German surname derived from Old High German meaning "forest and meadow".
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Vonnegut. That puts it at #150,452 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vonnegut surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#150,452
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Vonnegut in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150452nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vonnegut, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vonnegut
The surname Vonnegut is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the 16th century in the region of present-day Bavaria, Germany. The name is believed to derive from the Old German words "fon" (from) and "Negut" (a village or place name), suggesting that the family originated from a place called Negut.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vonnegut can be found in the records of the city of Münnerstadt in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, where a certain Clemens Vonnegut was mentioned in 1571. Another early reference is from 1625, when a Hans Vonnegut was listed as a resident of the village of Gochsheim, near Schweinfurt, in the Franconian region of Bavaria.
In the 17th century, some members of the Vonnegut family migrated to different parts of Germany, including the city of Dresden in Saxony, where a Johann Vonnegut was recorded as a citizen in 1672. Around the same time, the name also appeared in the records of the city of Nuremberg, in the form of "Vonneguth."
One of the most notable individuals bearing the surname Vonnegut was Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007), an American writer and satirist who gained fame for novels such as "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle." He was the grandson of German immigrants who had settled in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the late 19th century.
Other notable figures with the Vonnegut surname include:
1. Johann Vonnegut (1824-1899), a German-American tinsmith and hardware merchant who founded the Vonnegut Hardware Company in Indianapolis.
2. Bernard Vonnegut (1855-1908), an American architect and businessman, son of Johann Vonnegut.
3. Albert Vonnegut (1858-1914), an American businessman and brother of Bernard Vonnegut.
4. Kurt Vonnegut Sr. (1884-1957), an American architect and the father of the writer Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
5. Norbert Vonnegut (1899-1959), an American meteorologist and brother of Kurt Vonnegut Sr.
The Vonnegut name has a long and rich history, dating back to its German roots in the 16th century. While the family's origins can be traced to a specific place in Bavaria, the name has since spread across the world, with notable bearers in various fields, particularly in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vonnegut
Among Census respondents with the surname Vonnegut, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vonnegut bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Vonnegut surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2%
- Hispanic or Latino10.1%
Year on year
2010 vs 2010 Census
How has the Vonnegut surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #150,452 | #150,452 | 0.0% |
| Count | 109 | 109 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2010 Census, the number of Vonnegut bearers went from 109 to 109 (+0.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #150,452.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vonnegut
FAQ
Vonnegut surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Vonnegut?
The surname Vonnegut holds position #150,452 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 137 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Vonnegut surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vonnegut, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.