2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Karboski
A Polish surname derived from the root "karb" meaning "notch" or "groove".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Karboski. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karboski 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Karboski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karboski, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karboski
The surname Karboski originates from Poland, with its roots traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "karb," meaning a notch or mark, suggesting a possible occupational origin for individuals who worked with making or marking items.
Karboski is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name may have hailed from a specific place or region within Poland. The name was likely formed by adding the suffix "-ski," a common Polish patronymic, to the root "karb." This naming convention was prevalent in medieval Poland, where surnames were often derived from geographical locations, occupations, or physical characteristics.
Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries mention individuals with variations of the Karboski surname, such as Karbosky, Karbowsky, and Karbowski. One notable mention is found in the "Akta Grodzkie," a collection of historical court documents from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where a certain Wojciech Karbowski is referenced in the year 1618.
The earliest recorded instance of the Karboski surname dates back to the late 16th century, with the birth of Jan Karboski in the village of Wieliczka, near Krakow, in 1587. Another prominent figure bearing this name was Michał Karboski, a Polish nobleman and military leader who fought in the Polish-Swedish War during the mid-17th century (1655-1660).
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the Karboski surname. These include:
1. Józef Karboski (1698-1772), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian renowned for his scholarly works on religious philosophy.
2. Anna Karbowska (1806-1885), a Polish noblewoman and philanthropist known for her charitable contributions to orphanages and schools in the Kraków region.
3. Zygmunt Karbowski (1888-1937), a Polish painter and graphic artist, celebrated for his landscape and portrait works in the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist styles.
4. Władysław Karbowski (1901-1992), a Polish engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of agricultural machinery.
5. Jerzy Karbowski (1924-2005), a Polish actor and theater director, whose career spanned over six decades on stage and in film.
While the Karboski surname has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora. However, the historical significance and cultural heritage of this name remain deeply intertwined with its Polish origins and the rich tapestry of Polish history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karboski
Among Census respondents with the surname Karboski, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Karboski 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 Karboski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 108
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karboski
Karboski 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+7 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,656 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-27 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +7 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 2,656 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -27 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 24,170 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 Karboski 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 | #126,765 | #150,935 | -19.1% |
| Count | 135 | 108 | -20.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karboski bearers went from 135 to 108 (-20.0% change). The surname moved down 24,170 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #150,935.
FAQ
Karboski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karboski?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Karboski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Karboski?
Karboski ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Karboski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Karboski.
Has Karboski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karboski went from 135 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 27 (-20.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Karboski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karboski, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Karboski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karboski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Karboski (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 Karboski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the root "karb" meaning "notch" or "groove". 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 Karboski (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 Americans have the surname Karboski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.