2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Karkoski
A surname of Finnish origin likely derived from a place name or descriptive element.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Karkoski. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karkoski 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Karkoski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karkoski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karkoski
The surname Karkoski originated in Finland during the 16th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Finnish word "karkea", which means "coarse" or "rough". This likely referred to a person's physical appearance or demeanor. The name may have also been influenced by the Finnish place name "Karkku", a municipality located in the region of Pirkanmaa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karkoski can be found in the parish records of Virolahti, a town in the southeastern part of Finland, dating back to the late 1600s. These records show several families with the surname Karkoski living in the area during that time period.
In the 19th century, the name Karkoski began appearing in other parts of Finland as well. For instance, there are records of a man named Juho Karkoski, born in 1825 in the town of Pori, who later became a respected farmer and landowner in the region.
Another notable individual with this surname was Kalle Karkoski, a Finnish soldier born in 1892. He fought bravely in the Finnish Civil War of 1918 and was awarded the Cross of Liberty for his service.
During the early 20th century, several individuals with the surname Karkoski emigrated from Finland to other parts of the world, particularly North America. One such individual was Matti Karkoski, born in 1878 in the town of Lapua, who immigrated to the United States in 1905 and settled in the state of Michigan.
In more recent times, the name Karkoski has been associated with various professionals and public figures. For example, Eero Karkoski, born in 1949, was a renowned Finnish architect who designed several notable buildings in Helsinki and other cities.
While the surname Karkoski is not among the most common in Finland, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karkoski
Among Census respondents with the surname Karkoski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Karkoski 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 Karkoski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 7
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karkoski
Karkoski 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 190 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-11 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 190 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 8,554 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 Karkoski 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 | #146,201 | #154,755 | -5.9% |
| Count | 113 | 102 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karkoski bearers went from 113 to 102 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 8,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,755.
FAQ
Karkoski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karkoski?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Karkoski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Karkoski?
Karkoski ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Karkoski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Karkoski.
Has Karkoski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karkoski went from 113 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Karkoski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karkoski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Karkoski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karkoski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (6.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Karkoski (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 Karkoski mean?
A surname of Finnish origin likely derived from a place name or descriptive element. 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 Karkoski (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 have the last name Karkoski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Karkoski is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.