NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Kurt

A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "brave counselor".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Kurt is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kurt popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2671, with 8 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 128 births.

This profile covers 1,228 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 6% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,319 living people in the UK are called Kurt. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Kurt ranked #2671 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 8 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 128 boys were registered as Kurt.
  • Kurt ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #311 in 2011.
  • About 1,319 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kurt as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2671

2024

Births in 2024

8

Latest year

Peak year

1996

128 births

Estimated living

1,319

2026

Meaning

What does Kurt mean?

The name Kurt is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "kurt" which means "short" or "brief." This name likely originated during the medieval period in German-speaking regions of Europe.

Kurt is a shortened form of the Germanic name Konrad or Conrad, which is composed of the elements "kuon" meaning "brave" and "rat" meaning "counsel." The name Konrad was popular among the Frankish nobility during the Middle Ages, and it's believed that the shorter form Kurt emerged as a diminutive or nickname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kurt can be found in the "Nibelungenlied," a legendary German epic poem from around the 13th century. In this work, there is a character named Kurt, who is described as a brave warrior and a loyal companion to the hero Hagen.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kurt. One of the most famous is Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007), the American writer and satirist known for his novels such as "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle."

Another prominent figure was Kurt Eisner (1867-1919), a German politician and revolutionary who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Bavaria after the fall of the Bavarian monarchy in 1918.

In the world of classical music, Kurt Weill (1900-1950) was a renowned German composer who made significant contributions to the development of modern opera and musical theater.

Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948) was a German artist and poet, best known for his pioneering work in the Dada and Constructivist movements, which challenged traditional artistic conventions.

Finally, Kurt Gödel (1906-1978) was an Austrian logician and mathematician who made groundbreaking contributions to the fields of logic and foundations of mathematics, including his famous "Incompleteness Theorems."

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Kurt throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and significance across various fields and cultures.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Kurt over time

The chart below shows babies named Kurt registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Kurt, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 8 births in 2024, compared with 128 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Kurt
0326496128199620102024

Decades

Kurt by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kurt was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #2412 45 5
2010s #1508 184 10
2000s #594 536 10
1990s #253 463 4

Geography

Where Kurt is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kurt. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Kurt ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #311 in 2011.

Northern Ireland
4
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Kurt in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#686 in 2015

19 years of NRS records, 92 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#311 in 2011

3 years of NISRA records, 12 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Kurt

  • Kurt Willoughby

    association football player

    English association football player

    1997-

  • Kurt Walker

    boxer

    Irish boxer

    1995-

  • Kurt Parry

    darts player

    Welsh former professional darts player

    1993-

  • Kurt Metcalfe

    Husband of Karina de Roumanie

    1990-

  • Kurt Haggerty

    rugby league player

    English rugby league footballer and coach

    1989-

  • Kurt Reynolds

    ice hockey player

    British ice hockey player

    1986-

  • Kurt Joyce

    association football player

    association football player

    1980-

  • Kurt Tong

    photographer

    British photographer

    1977-

Related

Names similar to Kurt

FAQ

Kurt: questions and answers

How popular is the name Kurt in the UK right now?

In 2024, Kurt was ranked #2671 for boys in England and Wales, with 8 births registered.

When was Kurt most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 128 babies registered as Kurt in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Kurt?

A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "brave counselor".

How many people are called Kurt in the UK?

A total of 1,228 babies have been registered as Kurt across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 92 more in Scotland and 12 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Kurt most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Kurt ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #311 in 2011. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.