Kuhn
A German surname usually meaning “bold” or “keen,” and sometimes a short form of older names like Conrad.
The #1,102 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,716 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kuhn is most commonly explained from German kuhn, meaning “bold,” “daring,” or “keen,” with the older form linked to Old High German kuoni. Some surname books also treat it as a shortened form of older Germanic given names, especially names with the element found in Conrad, where a shorter pet form could become an inherited surname. The spelling is straightforwardly German, though related forms appear in several dialects and nearby languages.
History
The name is well attested in German-speaking areas and appears in surname dictionaries as both a descriptive byname and a shortened personal-name form. In North and South German usage, related short forms such as Koon, Kuno, Kuhne, and Kiihne/Kühne are also found. The surname spread to North America through German immigration and is now fairly common there.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often glossed Kuhn simply as “bold,” which is why it shows up in old lists of surnames meaning “the brave.”
From the historical record
“KUHN1 (Ger.) Bold, kuhnI Keen [Ger. kuhn, O.H.Ger. kuoni] \ (Ger.) Short [Ger. kurz, O.H.Ger. J kurz, Lat. curtus]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)