2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Karpati
A surname derived from the Carpathian Mountains region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Karpati. 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 Karpati 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 Karpati 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 Karpati, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karpati
The surname KARPATI originated in Hungary, with roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Hungarian word "Karpat," which refers to the Carpathian Mountains that span across several countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
KARPATI is believed to have been initially used as a topographic surname, indicating a person's place of origin or residence near the Carpathian mountain range. The earliest known records of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century, when Hungarian nobility and landowners began adopting hereditary surnames.
One of the earliest documented references to the KARPATI surname can be found in a 14th-century manuscript detailing land grants and property ownership in the region surrounding the Carpathian Mountains. This suggests that the name was associated with individuals who lived in or near these mountainous areas.
In the 15th century, the KARPATI surname appeared in various Hungarian administrative and legal records, indicating its widespread use among both noble and commoner families. During this period, variations in spelling, such as "Karpathy" and "Karpathyi," were also observed.
Notable historical figures bearing the KARPATI surname include János Karpati (1576-1638), a renowned Hungarian military commander who served under Prince Gábor Bethlen during the Thirty Years' War. Another notable bearer was Zsuzsanna Karpati (1624-1692), a celebrated Hungarian poet and writer whose works explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality.
In the 18th century, the KARPATI surname gained prominence through the achievements of Pál Karpati (1710-1778), a Hungarian architect and master builder who designed several notable structures, including churches and residential buildings in the Carpathian region.
During the 19th century, the KARPATI surname was further distinguished by Gábor Karpati (1824-1891), a prominent Hungarian politician and statesman who served as a member of the Hungarian Parliament and played a pivotal role in the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867.
As the KARPATI surname spread beyond Hungary, it became associated with individuals of Hungarian descent living in neighboring countries and regions, such as Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine, where the Carpathian Mountains extend.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karpati
Among Census respondents with the surname Karpati, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Karpati 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 Karpati surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 11
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karpati
Karpati appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,531 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 Karpati 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 | #142,108 | #151,639 | -6.7% |
| Count | 117 | 107 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karpati bearers went from 117 to 107 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,531 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #151,639.
FAQ
Karpati surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karpati?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Karpati. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Karpati?
Karpati 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 Karpati. 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 Karpati.
Has Karpati become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karpati went from 117 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Karpati?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karpati, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Black (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 Karpati in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karpati appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Hispanic (10.3%), Black (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 Karpati (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 Karpati mean?
A surname derived from the Carpathian Mountains region. 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 Karpati (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 share the surname Karpati?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.