2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kassai
A surname indicating an ancestral link to the city of Kassa (present-day Košice, Slovakia).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kassai. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kassai 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kassai in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassai, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kassai
The surname Kassai is of Hungarian origin, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the town of Kassa, now known as Košice, located in eastern Slovakia. The name Kassa is derived from the Slavic word "koš," meaning "basket," suggesting a potential connection to basket-making or trading.
During the 13th century, the town of Kassa was a thriving center of commerce and culture within the Kingdom of Hungary. Records from this period indicate that individuals bearing the surname Kassai were likely residents or traders associated with this prosperous town. The earliest known mention of the name Kassai can be found in a manuscript dated 1286, which documented a transaction involving a merchant named Petrus Kassai.
Throughout the centuries, the Kassai surname has been documented in various historical records and manuscripts across Central Europe. Notably, in the 15th century, a prominent scholar and humanist named Johannes Kassai (1436-1501) gained recognition for his contributions to the Renaissance movement. His works on classical literature and philosophy were widely circulated and influenced the intellectual discourse of the time.
Another notable figure bearing the Kassai surname was Gregorius Kassai (1565-1644), a Hungarian Protestant minister and theologian. He played a significant role in the religious reforms of the 16th and 17th centuries, publishing several theological treatises and advocating for religious tolerance.
In the 18th century, the Kassai family produced a renowned military leader, General Ladislaus Kassai (1720-1788). He served with distinction in the Austrian army during the Seven Years' War and later became the governor of Transylvania, a region that was then part of the Austrian Empire.
The 19th century saw the rise of Ferencz Kassai (1810-1875), a prominent linguist and lexicographer. His seminal work, "The Dictionary of the Hungarian Language," published in 1835, made a significant contribution to the standardization and preservation of the Hungarian language.
Other notable individuals bearing the Kassai surname include the 20th-century Hungarian writer and poet, Janos Kassai (1915-1988), whose works explored themes of identity, nationalism, and the human condition, as well as the contemporary artist and sculptor, Laszlo Kassai (born 1958), whose installations and public art pieces have been exhibited internationally.
Throughout its long history, the surname Kassai has maintained a strong presence in Hungarian and Central European cultures, with its origins rooted in the vibrant town of Kassa and its associations with trade, scholarship, and artistic expression.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kassai
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassai, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kassai 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 Kassai surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 96
- Black or African American5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kassai
Kassai 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,927 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,461 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 10,927 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,461 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 Kassai 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 | #137,327 | #142,788 | -4.0% |
| Count | 122 | 119 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kassai bearers went from 122 to 119 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,461 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kassai surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kassai?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kassai. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kassai?
Kassai ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Kassai. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Kassai.
Has Kassai become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kassai went from 122 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kassai?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassai, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Kassai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kassai appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Black (5.0%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Kassai (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 Kassai mean?
A surname indicating an ancestral link to the city of Kassa (present-day Košice, Slovakia). 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 Kassai (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 Kassai?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.