2000
#2,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,190
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.26
Uncommon Last name
Kaminski
Derived from the Polish word "kamień," meaning "stone," referring to a stonemason or someone living near a stone building.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,154 Americans carry the last name Kaminski. That puts it at #2,667 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,618 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaminski 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kaminski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,618
Census rank
#2,667
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,215 bearers of the surname Kaminski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2667th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaminski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaminski
The surname Kaminski originated in Poland and is derived from the Polish word "kamien," meaning "stone." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational name for someone who worked with stones, such as a stonemason or quarry worker.
The earliest records of the Kaminski surname date back to the 15th century in the Polish regions of Poznan and Kalisz. The name appeared in various spellings, including Kamienski, Kamieniecki, and Kaminski. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and scribal variations in record-keeping.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kaminski surname can be found in the Kalisz court records of 1457, where a certain Jan Kaminski is mentioned as a witness in a legal proceeding. This suggests that the Kaminski family had already established itself in the region by the mid-15th century.
In the 16th century, the Kaminski name appeared in several Polish historical documents, including the "Akta Grodzkie" (District Court Records) and the "Metryki Koronne" (Crown Metrica). These records provide insights into the lives and activities of various Kaminski individuals during that period.
One notable figure bearing the Kaminski surname was Stanislaw Kaminski (1575-1649), a Polish nobleman and military commander who served under King Sigismund III Vasa during the Polish-Swedish War. He is remembered for his valor and strategic skills in defending the city of Smolensk against Swedish forces.
Another prominent Kaminski was Jan Kaminski (1688-1757), a Polish Jesuit priest and scholar who taught philosophy and theology at the Jesuit College in Kalisz. He authored several influential works on religious and philosophical subjects during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Kaminski surname gained further recognition with the birth of Wincenty Kaminski (1809-1881), a Polish poet and writer who was active in the Polish Romantic literary movement. His most famous work, "Powrot taty" ("Father's Return"), was widely acclaimed for its vivid portrayal of rural life in Poland.
The surname Kaminski has also been associated with several notable figures in the fields of science and academia. One such individual was Bronislaw Kaminski (1899-1993), a Polish mathematician and logician who made significant contributions to the field of mathematical logic and set theory.
Throughout its history, the Kaminski surname has maintained a strong presence in Poland and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, clergy, writers, scholars, and military figures. While its origins can be traced back to occupational roots, the name has evolved to become a distinctive part of Polish cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaminski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaminski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaminski 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 Kaminski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 12,369
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 374
- Two or more races2.2% · 295
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 93
- Black or African American0.5% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaminski
Kaminski 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
#2,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,152
-38 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 4.80
Rank movement Down 216 places
2020
#2,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,215
-937 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,337 | 14,190 | 5.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,553 | 14,152 | 4.80 | -38 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 216 places |
| 2020 | #2,667 | 13,215 | 4.42 | -937 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 114 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 Kaminski 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 | #2,553 | #2,667 | -4.5% |
| Count | 14,152 | 13,215 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.80 | 4.42 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaminski bearers went from 14,152 to 13,215 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,553 to #2,667.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kaminski
FAQ
Kaminski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaminski?
Name Census estimates that about 15,154 living Americans carry the surname Kaminski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,618 residents.
How common is Kaminski?
Kaminski ranks #2,667 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,215 people with the surname Kaminski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,154), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Kaminski.
Has Kaminski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaminski went from 14,152 recorded bearers to 13,215. That is a decrease of 937 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,553 to #2,667.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaminski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaminski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kaminski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (12,369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaminski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kaminski (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 Kaminski mean?
Derived from the Polish word "kamień," meaning "stone," referring to a stonemason or someone living near a stone building. 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 Kaminski (4.42 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 last name Kaminski?
You can see how many people have the last name Kaminski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.