Kurt
Kurt was the 2271st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 62 babies. Its best year was 1964, when it ranked 109th with 3,158 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 847 places. More babies were named Kurt in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Konrad; "bold counsel" · German
Say it KURT /kɝt/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,271 boys, down 588 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 62boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19643,158 babies
- Total since 1880
- 86,054babies recorded
What does the name Kurt mean?
Kurt is a German contracted form of Konrad (English Conrad). Konrad goes back to an early West Germanic name built from kōni, "bold, brave", and rād, "counsel, advice", so the full name means roughly "bold in counsel". Kurt reached the United States with German-speaking families and became a name in its own right. An unrelated Turkish word kurt, "wolf", is a common Turkish surname and occasional given name, but it is not the source of the German name.
*kōnī (Proto-West Germanic, “bold, brave”)*rād (Proto-West Germanic, “counsel, advice”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Conrad, Konrad, Curt, Curtis.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean brave, names that mean wisdom.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kurt', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Conrad', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Kurt', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Kurt popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 196 since 1958.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,271 | 62 |
| 2020 | #1,683 | 94 |
| 2010 | #1,468 | 112 |
| 2000 | #610 | 315 |
| 1990 | #275 | 957 |
| 1980 | #192 | 1,280 |
| 1970 | #149 | 2,197 |
| 1960 | #130 | 2,881 |
| 1950 | #233 | 789 |
| 1940 | #417 | 194 |
| 1930 | #716 | 77 |
| 1920 | #1,196 | 37 |
| 1910 | #1,511 | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kurt, counting every spelling?
Kurt is the most common spelling of a name family that had 62 boys in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 62 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt | 62 | #2,271 | 343 |
| Curt | — | — | 36 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Kurt?
62 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kurt (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kurt born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 135 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kurt.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kurt?
About 68,500 people born in the US named Kurt are alive today, with a median age of 58; half are between 45 and 65. That makes Kurt a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Kurt by state
How common Kurt was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 44 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kurt: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kurt, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kurt · Sibling names for Kurt
Questions about the name Kurt
What does Kurt mean?
Kurt means “short form of Konrad; "bold counsel"” (German origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Kurt?
Kurt was the 2271st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 62 babies. Its best year was 1964, when it ranked 109th with 3,158 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 847 places. More babies were named Kurt in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Kurt a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kurt in the US.
Where is Kurt most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kurt was most common in Ohio (0.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and California.