The Kunkel surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,488 people carried this name — #3,736 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 31,100 people counted. That is up 1% from 9,375 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Kunkel surname

From Middle High German kunkel, from Medieval Latin conucla, conucula, colucula, corrupted from Latin colus (“distaff”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kunkel» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Poland’s population register

461 people named Kunkel have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 540 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 12 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Pomeranian.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Pomeranian 254
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 63
Masovian 32
West Pomeranian 28
Silesian 27
Łódź 17
Greater Poland 13
Warmian-Masurian 13

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 115 people named Kunkel live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 56
Misiones 31
Córdoba 18
City of Buenos Aires 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

87 people named Kunkel live in Switzerland.

They live in 12 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 22
Aargau 15
Thurgau 11
Valais 6
Schaffhausen 6
Bern 5
Zug 5
Geneva 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 48 people named Kunkel.

13 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 11 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 13
Bas-Rhin 14
Calvados 6
Marne 3
Paris 3
Haute-Marne 2
Drôme 2
Var 1
Seine-Maritime 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

24 people named Kunkel is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 24

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Kunkel in American newspapers,
1894.

Newspaper page from The Buffalo Bulletin carrying the name Kunkel
The Buffalo Bulletin 1894-01-04
Newspaper page from The Mason County Journal carrying the name Kunkel
The Mason County Journal 1894-01-26
Newspaper page from Lawrence Democrat carrying the name Kunkel
Lawrence Democrat 1894-01-12

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Kunkel in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1990s.

705 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kunkel. The most, 345, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 324
New South Wales 141
Western Australia 75
Victoria 64
South Australia 34
ACT (Canberra) 33
Tasmania 31

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kunkel.

Who carried it

People named Kunkel,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Christian Kunkel
    John Christian Kunkel 1816–1870 · politician
  • Jacob Michael Kunkel
    Jacob Michael Kunkel 1822–1870 · politician
  • George Kunkel
    George Kunkel 1823–1885 · actor
  • Charles Kunkel
    Charles Kunkel 1840–1923 · composer
  • Jacob Kunkel
    Jacob Kunkel 1846–1882 · composer
  • Sebastian Kunkel 1674–1737

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kunkel,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,750 records

1,750 records of the Kunkel name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 709
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 462
  • Other U.S. records 579
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Gerard I. Kunkel

    Born 1917 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Snelling; driver from Hennepin County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1969, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henriette Kunkel

    Arrived at New York in 1860 aboard the Louis Napoleon from Hamburg, aged 25; servant. From Pudewitz, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Harold Kunkel

    Born 1942; from Ft Ripley, Minnesota. U.S. Marine Corps, freight operations clerk; died in an accident 1965 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,750 records for Kunkel in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany1,013 records

1,013 records of the Kunkel name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 1,002
  • German emigration and citizenship files 11
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Kunkel

    Born 1884; from Neuburg, Stuhm. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 19 September 1916; then reported wounded in the list of 30 December 1916 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 18).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Gottfried Kunkel

    Left Neuhütten for North America in 1861.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Staatsarchiv Würzburg (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Katharina Kunkel

    Emigrated to North America in 1870.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 1,013 records for Kunkel in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Netherlands26 records

26 records of the Kunkel name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 17
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 8
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Luise Kunkel

    Married in 1931 in Almelo; seamstress.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph Kunkel

    Died 1919 in Schaesberg; born in Schaesberg.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Anna Margaretha Kunkel

    In the population register of Nijmegen; born 1846 in Nijmegen.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Nijmegen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 26 records for Kunkel in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Australia24 records

24 records of the Kunkel name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 16
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 4
  • Other Australian records 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Anna Maria Kunkel

    Arrived in Queensland in 1872 aboard the Herschel, aged 60.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Arthur A. Kunkel

    Boot finisher of Collingwood, Victoria; died 1920.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charles Kunkel

    Of Balmain, New South Wales; died 1885.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 24 records for Kunkel in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France18 records

18 records of the Kunkel name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Rene Kunkel

    Born 1939 in Rothbach; died 1987 in Oberbronn-Zinswiller (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Paulette Leone Rose Kunkel

    Born 1920 in Isigny-sur-Mer (Calvados); died 2000 in Issoudun (Indre).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Rene Kunkel

    Born 1909 in Strasbourg; died 1979 in Niederbronn-les-Bains (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Kunkel in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Canada15 records

15 records of the Kunkel name in Canada
  • City of Waterloo (Ontario) cemetery records 6
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 5
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Elizabeth Joan Kunkel

    Buried in 1986 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 56.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Monica Kunkel

    Buried in 1991 at Mount Hope Cemetery, Waterloo, Ontario.

    Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William H. Kunkel

    Died 1911 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 15 records for Kunkel in Canada.

Counts: Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kunkel.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kunkel is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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