2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kauchak
Of Slavic origin, likely derived from the Polish word "kuchać" meaning "to squat" or "to crouch".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Kauchak. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kauchak 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Kauchak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauchak, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kauchak
The surname KAUCHAK is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Poland. Its roots can be traced back to the 14th century, deriving from the Old Polish word "kauch," which referred to a small, rounded bread roll or loaf.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name KAUCHAK can be found in a medieval manuscript from the year 1387, which lists a certain Jan Kauchak as a resident of the town of Krakow. It is likely that this individual or his ancestors may have been bakers or sellers of the traditional "kauch" bread rolls.
During the 16th century, the KAUCHAK name began to spread across various parts of Eastern Europe, with records indicating families bearing this surname in regions such as Silesia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The name underwent various spelling variations, including Kauchak, Kauczak, and Kauczhak.
In the late 17th century, a notable figure named Mikołaj Kauchak (1642-1718) emerged as a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Lviv, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. His business dealings and influence contributed to the further dissemination of the KAUCHAK name in the region.
Another notable individual with this surname was Jan Kauchak (1795-1867), a Polish military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a celebrated hero during the November Uprising against Russian rule in the early 19th century.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the KAUCHAK surname was also found among Polish immigrants who settled in various parts of the United States and Canada, particularly in the Midwest and northeastern regions. One such individual was Stanisław Kauchak (1878-1943), a Polish-American entrepreneur who established a successful bakery business in Chicago.
Other notable bearers of the KAUCHAK name include Józef Kauchak (1858-1923), a Polish writer and journalist who authored several novels and short stories, and Agnieszka Kauchak (1902-1988), a Polish artist renowned for her intricate woodcarvings and sculptures.
While the KAUCHAK surname may have evolved from humble origins related to baking and bread-making, it has since been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, military personnel, writers, and artists, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and historical tapestry of Poland and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kauchak
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauchak, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kauchak 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 Kauchak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 94
- Two or more races7.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.5% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kauchak
Kauchak 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,288 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 15,288 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 6,598 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 Kauchak 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 | #156,044 | #149,446 | 4.2% |
| Count | 104 | 110 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kauchak bearers went from 104 to 110 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 6,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #149,446.
FAQ
Kauchak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kauchak?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Kauchak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Kauchak?
Kauchak ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Kauchak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Kauchak.
Has Kauchak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kauchak went from 104 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Kauchak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauchak, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%). 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 Kauchak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kauchak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Two or More Races (7.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%). 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 Kauchak (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 Kauchak mean?
Of Slavic origin, likely derived from the Polish word "kuchać" meaning "to squat" or "to crouch". 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 Kauchak (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 surname Kauchak?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.