2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kiminski
A Polish surname derived from the name "Kym", meaning "who" or "what".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Kiminski. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kiminski 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Kiminski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiminski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kiminski
The surname KIMINSKI originated in Poland, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Polish word "kimon," meaning "hairy" or "shaggy," and was likely a descriptive nickname initially given to someone with particularly thick or unkempt hair.
The earliest known record of the name KIMINSKI can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the Małopolska region of southern Poland. The document mentions a landowner named Stanisław Kiminski, who lived in the village of Kłobuck.
Over the centuries, various spellings of the name emerged, including Kiminsky, Kiminskie, and Kimiński. These variations likely arose due to regional differences in pronunciation and the influence of other languages, such as German or Russian, in areas where Polish communities resided.
One notable bearer of the KIMINSKI name was Piotr Kiminski, a 16th-century Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Muscovite War of 1577-1582. He was renowned for his strategic prowess and played a crucial role in several key battles.
In the 18th century, the KIMINSKI surname appeared in records from the town of Płock, located along the Vistula River in central Poland. A prominent figure from this era was Jan Kiminski, a merchant and landowner who established a successful trading business and acquired significant wealth.
Another historically significant individual was Józef Kiminski, a 19th-century Polish writer and journalist. Born in 1825 in the city of Kraków, he was a prolific author and a vocal advocate for Polish independence during the partitions of Poland by neighboring powers.
Across various regions of Poland, the name KIMINSKI was also associated with several rural settlements and villages, such as Kiminskiego, Kiminskówka, and Kimińskie Pole. These place names likely derived from early inhabitants or landowners bearing the KIMINSKI surname.
While the KIMINSKI surname remains relatively uncommon outside of Poland, it has a rich history and has been carried by notable figures throughout the centuries, reflecting the cultural and historical tapestry of the Polish nation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiminski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiminski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kiminski 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 Kiminski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kiminski
Kiminski 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-12 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,658 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 7,658 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 Kiminski 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 | #148,347 | #156,005 | -5.2% |
| Count | 111 | 99 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kiminski bearers went from 111 to 99 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 7,658 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #156,005.
FAQ
Kiminski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kiminski?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Kiminski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Kiminski?
Kiminski ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Kiminski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kiminski.
Has Kiminski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kiminski went from 111 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Kiminski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiminski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Kiminski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kiminski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Kiminski (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 Kiminski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the name "Kym", meaning "who" or "what". 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 Kiminski (0.03 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 last name Kiminski?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Kiminski, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.