2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kamysz
A Polish surname derived from the word 'kamysz' meaning 'reed' or 'cane'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Kamysz. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kamysz 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Kamysz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamysz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kamysz
The surname KAMYSZ originated in Poland and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "kamysz," which means "reed" or "cane." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a marshy area or who worked with reeds or canes.
The earliest known record of the KAMYSZ surname appears in the town of Poznan, located in western Poland, in the year 1472. The name is mentioned in a local registry, indicating that it was already in use at that time. In the 16th century, the KAMYSZ name can be found in several historical documents from the region of Wielkopolska, which includes the cities of Poznan and Gniezno.
One notable individual bearing the KAMYSZ surname was Jan Kamysz, a Polish nobleman who lived in the late 16th century. He was a landowner in the village of Kamyszyn, which may have been named after his family or vice versa. Records show that Jan Kamysz was involved in local politics and served as a representative in the regional parliament.
Another historical figure with the KAMYSZ surname was Stanislaw Kamysz, a Polish Catholic priest who lived in the 17th century. He was born in the town of Kalisz in 1623 and served as a parish priest in several villages throughout his life. Stanislaw Kamysz is known for his written works, which included religious texts and sermons.
In the 19th century, the KAMYSZ name appeared in various genealogical records and census documents from different regions of Poland. One noteworthy individual was Kazimierz Kamysz, a Polish artist and painter who was born in 1812 in the city of Krakow. He studied at the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts and is known for his landscape paintings depicting rural scenes from the Polish countryside.
Another person of historical significance was Wladyslaw Kamysz, a Polish military officer who fought in World War I. He was born in 1888 in the town of Radomsko and served in the Polish Legions, a military formation that fought alongside the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the war. Wladyslaw Kamysz was recognized for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In the early 20th century, the KAMYSZ surname can be found in various immigration records, as many Polish families emigrated to other countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Brazil, during that period. The name has since spread to different parts of the world, but its origins can be traced back to the Polish lands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kamysz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamysz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kamysz 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 Kamysz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kamysz
Kamysz 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,528 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-8 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,835 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 5,528 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 5,835 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 Kamysz 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 | #148,347 | #154,182 | -3.9% |
| Count | 111 | 103 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kamysz bearers went from 111 to 103 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 5,835 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #154,182.
FAQ
Kamysz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kamysz?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Kamysz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Kamysz?
Kamysz ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Kamysz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Kamysz.
Has Kamysz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kamysz went from 111 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Kamysz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamysz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Kamysz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kamysz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Kamysz (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 Kamysz mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word 'kamysz' meaning 'reed' or 'cane'. 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 Kamysz (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 many people are called Kamysz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Kamysz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.