Explore the Family Name Kurz

The meaning of Kurz

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Kurtz. Some characteristic forenames: German Erna, Hans, Jutta, Armin, Benno, Fritz, Gunter, Heinz, Hermann, Horst, Manfred, Otto.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Kurz in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Kurz has experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname fell from 7973 in 2000 to 8504 in 2010, marking a decrease of about 6.66%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Kurz surname saw a minuscule increase of 0.65%, growing from 3849 to 3874. However, when viewed as a proportion per 100,000 people, the prevalence of the Kurz surname dropped by 8.39%.

20002010Change
Rank#7,973#8,504-6.66%
Count3,8493,8740.65%
Proportion per 100k1.431.31-8.39%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kurz

Moving onto the ethnic identity associated with the surname Kurz, again based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, a few shifts are observable over the same 10-year period. The vast majority of individuals with this surname identify as White, although this percentage decreased slightly from 95.69% in 2000 to 93.99% in 2010. The percentages of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also decreased somewhat. However, there were increases in the percentages of those identifying as Hispanic (from 1.74% to 2.99%), Black (from 0.16% to 0.28%), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (from 0.16% to 0.34%). The category of 'Two or more races' also observed an increase, rising from 1.22% to 1.47%.

20002010Change
White95.69%93.99%-1.78%
Hispanic1.74%2.99%71.84%
Two or More Races1.22%1.47%20.49%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.04%0.93%-10.58%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.16%0.34%112.5%
Black0.16%0.28%75%

Kurz ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Kurz is French & German, which comprises 35.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (26.8%) and Eastern European (10.0%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German35.6%
British & Irish26.8%
Eastern European10.0%
Other27.5%
Kurz

Possible origins of the surname Kurz

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Kurz have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom59.00%
Merseyside, United Kingdom59.00%
Greater London, United Kingdom59.00%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom59.00%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom59.00%

What Kurz haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Kurz is R-M405, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-M405 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and I-CTS10057, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Reader, Evers, Heise, Brinkman, Kremer, Muller, Resch, Atkinson, Keeler, Dreher.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Kurz surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

kurzPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to King Louis XVI

The rule of France by men of the House of Bourbon began with King Henri IV in 1589 C.E. and continued until the beheading of his direct paternal descendant King Louis XVI in 1793. Several years ago, researchers analyzed a mummified head and a blood-soaked cloth that they believed might belong to the two kings, and concluded that the royal paternal line belonged to haplogroup G. In a more recent study, however, a different set of researchers tested three living men who are direct descendants of the Bourbon kings. Their efforts revealed that the male lineage of the House of Bourbon is actually a branch of haplogroup R-M405.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara

Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Kurz have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Kurz

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Kurz" Surname 39.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Kurz

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Kurz" Surname 46.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Kurz

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Kurz" Surname 21.2%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Kurz

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Kurz" Surname 14.4%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Kurz?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Kurz are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%