Find out how popular the last name Kalma is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kalma.

Kalma, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kalma surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kalma in America

Kalma is the 126018th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kalma surname appeared 136 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kalma.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kalma to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kalma

The surname KALMA is believed to have originated in Finland. It is thought to be derived from the Finnish word "kalma," which means "death" or "mortality." The name likely arose as a reference to a person's occupation or association with death, such as a gravedigger or a person who dealt with funerary rites.

The earliest recorded instances of the KALMA surname date back to the 16th century in Finland. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Pekka Kalma, born around 1550 in Turku, Finland. He was a prominent member of the local community and served as a church warden.

In the 17th century, the KALMA surname appeared in various records and documents in Finland. One notable example was Jaakko Kalma, a merchant born in 1625 in Helsinki. He was involved in the trading of goods between Finland and other Baltic regions.

During the 18th century, the KALMA name spread to other parts of the Nordic region. In Sweden, there was a record of a blacksmith named Erik Kalma, born in 1702 in Gothenburg. He was known for his skilled craftsmanship and his work on decorative ironwork for churches and public buildings.

The 19th century saw the KALMA surname gain prominence in the field of academia and literature. One notable figure was Juho Kalma, a Finnish writer and poet born in 1845 in Oulu. His works explored themes of nature, love, and the human condition, and he is considered one of the pioneers of modern Finnish literature.

Another significant figure with the KALMA surname was Kaarlo Kalma, a Finnish historian and linguist born in 1877 in Helsinki. He made significant contributions to the study of Finnish language and history, and his work helped to preserve and document the country's cultural heritage.

As the KALMA surname spread throughout the centuries, it also found its way into other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to Finland and the Nordic region, where it has a rich and diverse history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kalma

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kalma.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kalma was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kalma has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kalma was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kalma, please contact us.

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