2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kassoff
A surname derived from the Polish term 'kassof' meaning 'one who collects money or taxes'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Kassoff. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kassoff 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Kassoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kassoff
The surname Kassoff has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the regions of modern-day Poland and Russia. It is believed to have emerged around the 16th or 17th century, derived from the Slavic word "kas" or "kos," which means "blackbird" or "jackdaw." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with dark hair or complexion, or perhaps someone who lived near a place frequented by these birds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kassoff surname can be found in the Polish tax records from the late 17th century, where a certain Marcin Kassoff is listed as a landowner in the village of Bydgoszcz. Another early reference is found in the Russian census records of 1795, which mention a family of Kassoffs residing in the town of Smolensk.
In the 19th century, the Kassoff surname began to appear in various historical documents across Eastern Europe. Among notable individuals bearing this name was Andrei Kassoff (1810-1879), a Russian military officer who served in the Crimean War and was awarded the Order of St. George for his bravery in battle.
Another prominent figure was Yelena Kassoff (1845-1920), a Polish writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and education reform. Her works, which included novels and essays, were widely read and influential in her time.
In the early 20th century, a family of Kassoffs emigrated from Russia to the United States, settling in the city of Chicago. One member of this family, Ivan Kassoff (1892-1967), became a successful businessman and philanthropist, establishing the Kassoff Foundation to support education and cultural initiatives in the Russian-American community.
During World War II, a Ukrainian soldier named Yuri Kassoff (1920-2005) gained recognition for his service in the Red Army and his efforts to document the atrocities of the Holocaust. His memoirs, published after the war, provided a harrowing account of the events he witnessed.
While the Kassoff surname is not as common today, it remains a part of the rich cultural tapestry of Eastern Europe and the diaspora communities around the world. Its roots can be traced back centuries, reflecting the diverse histories and experiences of those who bore this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kassoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kassoff 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 Kassoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kassoff
Kassoff 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+15 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,458 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-15 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 4,458 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 15,116 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 Kassoff 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 | #131,379 | #146,495 | -11.5% |
| Count | 129 | 114 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kassoff bearers went from 129 to 114 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 15,116 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #146,495.
FAQ
Kassoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kassoff?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Kassoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Kassoff?
Kassoff ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Kassoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Kassoff.
Has Kassoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kassoff went from 129 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Kassoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kassoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Kassoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kassoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Kassoff (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 Kassoff mean?
A surname derived from the Polish term 'kassof' meaning 'one who collects money or taxes'. 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 Kassoff (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 are called Kassoff?
You can see how many people have the surname Kassoff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.