Explore the Family Name Kuk
The meaning of Kuk
1. North German: perhaps an occupational name for a pastry cook (compare Kok 1). 2. Slovenian: probably a topographic name from dialect kuk ‘hip’, by extension ‘hill, hillock’ (compare Kok 2). It may also be a nickname from the homonym kuk ‘insect, little worm’. 3. Croatian: probably a topographic name of the same meaning as Slovenian name above, from kuk ‘hip’. 4. Polish: nickname from Old Polish kukać ‘to call, to cry out, to shout’ or kuk ‘demon, evil spirit’. Compare Cook. 5. Korean: there are three Chinese characters for this surname, used by three different clans. Two of them are very rare; only the Tamyang Kuk clan will be considered here. This is said to have originated in Song China. The clan’s founding ancestor, Kuk Ryang, held a government post during the early 12th century, in the Koryŏ period. Kuk Ryang’s ancestors are said to have come from Song China. Compare Cook 6 and Kook 3. 6. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 鞠, see Ju 1. 7. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 谷, see Gu 4. 8. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 郤, see Xi 4. 9. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 曲, see Qu 1. 10. Amerindian (Mexico): Mayan name, from a word denoting e.g. ‘squirrel’ (see Kuk) or ‘feather’, by extension also ‘quetzal’. Some characteristic forenames: Korean Song, Hyung, Jae, Kam, Keum, Man, Min Soo, Myung Ho, Seung, Soon, Sun, Sung. German Siegfried, Horst, Otto.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Kuk in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Kuk saw a slight uptick in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 31,817 in popularity with a count of 686 individuals bearing the name. By 2010, its rank had fallen slightly to 31,824, but the actual count of people named Kuk increased by 5.69% to reach 725. Despite these changes, the proportion of people named Kuk per 100,000 remained constant at 0.25.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #31,817 | #31,824 | -0.02% |
| Count | 686 | 725 | 5.69% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kuk
In terms of ethnic identity, the distribution underwent some shifts from 2000 to 2010, as reported by the Decennial U.S. Census. There was a significant increase of 17.65% in the Asian/Pacific Islander community identifying with the surname Kuk, rising from 28.72% in 2000 to 33.79% in 2010. The count of those with two or more races bearing this surname decreased by 33.56%, and there was also an 11.39% drop in the White population with this surname. The Hispanic community, on the other hand, saw a rise of 24.74%. Interestingly, no change was observed under Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories, as they remained at 0% in both years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 59.62% | 52.83% | -11.39% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 28.72% | 33.79% | 17.65% |
| Hispanic | 9.62% | 12% | 24.74% |
| Two or More Races | 1.46% | 0.97% | -33.56% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |