2000
#52,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 373
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Kalous
A surname derived from the Czech word "kalich," meaning chalice or cup.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 432 Americans carry the last name Kalous. That puts it at #58,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 793,413 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kalous 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
432
1 in 793,413
Census rank
#58,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
377
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 377 bearers of the surname Kalous in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalous, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kalous
The surname Kalous has its origins traced back to the Czech Republic, with records indicating its emergence in the late 15th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Czech word "kalous," meaning "jackdaw" or a small crow-like bird. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who had a resemblance to the bird or exhibited characteristics associated with it.
Historically, the Kalous name was predominantly found in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, which now form parts of modern-day Czech Republic. One of the earliest documented mentions of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Plzeň, dated around 1492, where a certain Jakub Kalous is listed as a resident.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kalous name appeared in various historical documents, including land records and court proceedings. In 1612, a man named Václav Kalous was recorded as a landowner in the village of Žďár nad Sázavou, indicating the presence of the family in that area.
The 18th century saw the rise of several notable individuals bearing the Kalous surname. Jan Kalous (1713-1789) was a respected scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Prague. His contemporary, František Kalous (1721-1798), was a renowned architect who played a significant role in the design and construction of several notable buildings in Prague and its surrounding areas.
In the 19th century, the Kalous family continued to make its mark. Josef Kalous (1838-1913) was a prominent Czech politician and journalist who actively advocated for Czech nationalism and independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His cousin, Tomáš Kalous (1842-1920), was a successful businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and hospitals in his hometown of Brno.
Another notable figure from this era was the artist Marie Kalous (1857-1935), whose landscapes and portraits gained widespread acclaim in the Czech art world. Her contemporary, Jan Kalous (1861-1941), was a respected linguist and author who made significant contributions to the study of the Czech language and its dialects.
Throughout its history, the Kalous surname has been associated with various place names and locations within the Czech Republic, such as Kalousov, Kalousovice, and Kalousova Lhota, which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the Kalous surname who lived or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalous
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalous, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kalous 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 Kalous surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 350
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 14
- Two or more races2.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kalous
Kalous 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
#50,106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 418
+45 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 2,183 places
2020
#58,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 377
-41 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 8,076 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #52,289 | 373 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,106 | 418 | 0.14 | +45 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 2,183 places |
| 2020 | #58,182 | 377 | 0.13 | -41 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 8,076 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 Kalous 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 | #50,106 | #58,182 | -16.1% |
| Count | 418 | 377 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kalous bearers went from 418 to 377 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 8,076 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,106 to #58,182.
FAQ
Kalous surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kalous?
Name Census estimates that about 432 living Americans carry the surname Kalous. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 793,413 residents.
How common is Kalous?
Kalous ranks #58,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 377 people with the surname Kalous. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (432), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Kalous.
Has Kalous become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kalous went from 418 recorded bearers to 377. That is a decrease of 41 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #50,106 to #58,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Kalous?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kalous, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kalous in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (350 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kalous appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kalous (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 Kalous mean?
A surname derived from the Czech word "kalich," meaning chalice or cup. 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 Kalous (0.13 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 Kalous?
Want to know how many people are called Kalous? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.