Find out how popular the last name Karpowitz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Karpowitz.

Karpowitz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Karpowitz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Karpowitz in America

Karpowitz is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Karpowitz surname appeared 111 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Karpowitz.

The history of the last name Karpowitz

The surname Karpowitz is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "karp" which means "carp" – a type of freshwater fish. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, likely referring to someone who worked as a fisherman or fish trader, or perhaps someone who lived near a body of water abundant with carp.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Karpowitz can be traced back to the 16th century in Poland. One notable example is Jan Karpowitz, a merchant from the city of Krakow who was mentioned in a trade register from 1587. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from that era, suggesting it was relatively widespread in certain regions of Poland.

In the 18th century, the surname Karpowitz began to spread beyond Poland's borders as Polish immigrants and refugees settled in neighboring countries like Germany and Ukraine. One such example is Andrzej Karpowitz, a Polish soldier who fought in the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) and later settled in the town of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia).

The 19th century saw a significant wave of Polish emigration to the United States, and many families bearing the surname Karpowitz made the journey across the Atlantic. One of the earliest recorded instances in America is Stanislaw Karpowitz, who arrived in New York City in 1842 and later settled in Chicago.

Another notable figure was Maria Karpowitz (1855-1932), a Polish-American activist and labor organizer who played a pivotal role in the labor movement in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was instrumental in organizing strikes and advocating for better working conditions and fair wages for factory workers.

In more recent history, there was a Polish-born scientist named Krzysztof Karpowitz (1928-2003) who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics. He was a professor at the University of Warsaw and published numerous papers on theoretical physics.

Over time, the surname Karpowitz has undergone various spelling variations, such as Karpowicz, Karpowits, and Karpowitz, reflecting the challenges of transliterating Polish names into other languages. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its Polish heritage and association with the carp fish.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Karpowitz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Karpowitz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Karpowitz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Karpowitz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Karpowitz, please contact us.

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