2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kalet
A surname derived from an Aramaic personal name meaning "swift" or "nimble".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Kalet. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kalet 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Kalet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalet, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kalet
The surname KALET is believed to have originated in Poland during the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Polish word "kalet," which means "crippled" or "disabled." The name likely referred to someone with a physical disability or deformity.
The earliest known record of the KALET surname dates back to 1598, when a man named Jan KALET was mentioned in a church registry in the village of Krakow, Poland. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time in the region.
In the 17th century, the KALET surname began to appear in other parts of Poland, particularly in the towns and villages surrounding the city of Warsaw. It is possible that the name was associated with a specific family or group of families who migrated from Krakow to these areas.
One notable individual with the KALET surname was Tomasz KALET, a Polish nobleman who lived in the late 17th century. He was a landowner and member of the Polish gentry, and his name is recorded in several historical documents from that period.
Another individual of note was Katarzyna KALET, a Polish writer and poet who lived in the early 19th century. She is known for her collection of poetry titled "Wiersze z Wiejskiego Życia" (Poems from Village Life), which was published in 1825.
In the late 19th century, a man named Józef KALET was a prominent figure in the Polish independence movement. He was a journalist and activist who advocated for Poland's independence from Russian rule. He was born in 1849 and died in 1921.
During the 20th century, the KALET surname spread beyond Poland as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable individual was Andrzej KALET, a Polish-American artist and sculptor who was born in 1924 and died in 2005. He is known for his abstract and surrealist works.
Another KALET of note was Maria KALET, a Polish-born writer and educator who lived in the United States. She was born in 1914 and wrote several books on Polish culture and history, including "The Polish Immigrants in America" (1966).
While the KALET surname originated in Poland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and family connections. However, its roots can be traced back to the 16th century in the Polish region, where it is believed to have derived from a word describing a physical disability or deformity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalet
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalet, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kalet 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 Kalet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kalet
Kalet 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,579 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-5 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 775 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 5,579 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 775 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 Kalet 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 | #154,907 | #155,682 | -0.5% |
| Count | 105 | 100 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kalet bearers went from 105 to 100 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 775 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #155,682.
FAQ
Kalet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kalet?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Kalet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Kalet?
Kalet ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Kalet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kalet.
Has Kalet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kalet went from 105 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Kalet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalet, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Kalet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kalet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (2.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Kalet (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 Kalet mean?
A surname derived from an Aramaic personal name meaning "swift" or "nimble". 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 Kalet (0.03 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 common is the surname Kalet?
See how many people have the last name Kalet on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.