2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cospelich
A surname derived from an occupational name for a cooper or barrel maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Cospelich. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cospelich surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Cospelich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cospelich, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cospelich
The surname Cospelich is of Slavic origin, with roots tracing back to the regions of modern-day Croatia and Serbia. It likely emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is believed to derive from the old Slavic word "kospe," which referred to a type of wild berry or fruit, possibly indicating that the earliest bearers of this name were associated with foraging or gathering these berries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cospelich surname can be found in a document from the Dubrovnik archives, dated 1387, which mentions a certain Marko Cospelich, a merchant from the coastal town of Cavtat. This suggests that the name was already established in the Dalmatian region during that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Cospelich name was Ivan Cospelich, a Catholic priest and scholar from the city of Zadar. Born in 1525, Ivan was known for his work in translating religious texts from Latin into the Croatian language, contributing to the preservation and promotion of the Croatian literary tradition.
Across the Adriatic Sea, the Cospelich surname also found its way to the Italian peninsula. Records from the 17th century mention a wealthy Venetian merchant named Giovanni Cospelich, who was involved in trading goods between Venice and the Dalmatian coast.
In the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the Cospelich name was Nikola Cospelich, a Croatian writer and journalist born in 1838 in the town of Sinj. Nikola was a vocal advocate for Croatian cultural and linguistic rights during the period of Austro-Hungarian rule, and his works played a significant role in the Croatian national revival movement.
Another noteworthy figure was Marija Cospelich, a Croatian educator and women's rights activist born in 1875 in the city of Split. Marija dedicated her life to advocating for women's education and equal opportunities, establishing several schools and organizations to empower women in Dalmatia.
While the Cospelich surname may have originated in the Slavic regions of the Balkans, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots remain deeply intertwined with the cultural and historical tapestry of Croatia and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cospelich
Among Census respondents with the surname Cospelich, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cospelich bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cospelich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 97
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cospelich
Cospelich appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-8 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,810 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,952 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 16,810 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,952 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cospelich surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #147,253 | #150,205 | -2.0% |
| Count | 112 | 109 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cospelich bearers went from 112 to 109 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,952 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,205.
FAQ
Cospelich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cospelich?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Cospelich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Cospelich?
Cospelich ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Cospelich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cospelich.
Has Cospelich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cospelich went from 112 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Cospelich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cospelich, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cospelich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cospelich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cospelich (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cospelich mean?
A surname derived from an occupational name for a cooper or barrel maker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cospelich (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Cospelich?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.