2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Karkula
A surname possibly derived from the Turkish word "karku" meaning "falcon".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Karkula. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karkula 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Karkula in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karkula, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karkula
The surname KARKULA is of Finnish origin, first appearing in historical records around the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Finnish word "karkula," which means "a small, remote village." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who hailed from a remote or isolated settlement.
In the early 1600s, the name KARKULA can be found in parish records from the Ostrobothnia region of western Finland. It is likely that the name originated in this area, which was sparsely populated at the time and consisted of many small, scattered villages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KARKULA is in the birth records of Pietari KARKULA, born in 1615 in the village of Laihia, Ostrobothnia. Another early record is the marriage of Anna KARKULA and Matti Juhonpoika in 1632 in the nearby village of Isokyrö.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the name KARKULA remained predominantly concentrated in the Ostrobothnia region, with various spellings such as KARCKULA and KARKKULA appearing in church records and local documents.
One notable bearer of the name was Jaakko KARKULA (1795-1868), a farmer and landowner from the village of Lapua, Ostrobothnia. He was known for his successful agricultural endeavors and served as a local magistrate.
In the 19th century, as Finnish migration to North America increased, the name KARKULA began to appear in immigrations records. One of the earliest instances was Juho KARKULA, who arrived in the United States from Finland in 1871, settling in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Another individual of note was Väinö KARKULA (1879-1952), a Finnish politician and journalist who served as a member of the Finnish Parliament in the early 20th century. He was born in the town of Vaasa, Ostrobothnia, and was known for his advocacy of workers' rights.
While the name KARKULA is relatively uncommon outside of Finland, it has maintained a presence in the Ostrobothnia region throughout its history, reflecting its roots in the remote villages of this part of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karkula
Among Census respondents with the surname Karkula, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Karkula 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 Karkula surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karkula
Karkula 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,471 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 4,471 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,268 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 Karkula 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 | #154,907 | #151,639 | 2.1% |
| Count | 105 | 107 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karkula bearers went from 105 to 107 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,268 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #151,639.
FAQ
Karkula surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karkula?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Karkula. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Karkula?
Karkula ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Karkula. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Karkula.
Has Karkula become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karkula went from 105 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Karkula?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karkula, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Karkula in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karkula appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Karkula (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 Karkula mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Turkish word "karku" meaning "falcon". 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 Karkula (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 people have the last name Karkula?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Karkula, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.