2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kalmykov
A Russian surname indicating a person of Kalmyk ethnic origin or descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kalmykov. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kalmykov 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Kalmykov in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalmykov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kalmykov
The surname Kalmykov is of Russian origin and can be traced back to the 17th century. It is derived from the ethnic group known as the Kalmyks, a nomadic people who migrated from the steppes of Central Asia to the Lower Volga region of Russia in the early 1600s.
The name Kalmykov literally means "of the Kalmyks" and was initially used to identify individuals who belonged to this ethnic group or had close associations with them. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in official documents and census records from the 17th and 18th centuries in the regions around the Volga River.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Kalmykov was Baatr Kalmykov, a prominent Kalmyk nobleman and military leader who lived in the late 17th century. He played a significant role in the negotiations between the Kalmyk Khanate and the Russian Empire during that period.
In the 19th century, several notable figures with the surname Kalmykov emerged, including Mikhail Kalmykov (1795-1853), a Russian writer and translator who was known for his works on Eastern philosophy and literature. Another individual of note was Nikolai Kalmykov (1829-1896), a Russian military officer who served in the Caucasian War and later became a respected administrator in the Caucasus region.
During the 20th century, the name Kalmykov continued to be prominent, with individuals such as Alexey Kalmykov (1900-1962), a Soviet military commander who fought in World War II and was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his bravery and leadership.
Another noteworthy figure was Nikita Kalmykov (1923-1994), a prominent Soviet and Russian scientist who made significant contributions to the field of theoretical physics, particularly in the areas of quantum mechanics and solid-state physics.
While the surname Kalmykov originated from a specific ethnic group, it has since spread throughout Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union, with individuals bearing this name continuing to make their mark in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalmykov
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalmykov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kalmykov 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 Kalmykov surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kalmykov
Kalmykov appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 5,815 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 Kalmykov 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 | #153,769 | #147,954 | 3.8% |
| Count | 106 | 112 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kalmykov bearers went from 106 to 112 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 5,815 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kalmykov surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kalmykov?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kalmykov. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kalmykov?
Kalmykov ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Kalmykov. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Kalmykov.
Has Kalmykov become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kalmykov went from 106 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kalmykov?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalmykov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Kalmykov in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kalmykov appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Kalmykov (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 Kalmykov mean?
A Russian surname indicating a person of Kalmyk ethnic origin or descent. 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 Kalmykov (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 have the surname Kalmykov?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.