2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kisala
A surname possibly derived from a Polish word meaning carp or a diminutive of a Slavic name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Kisala. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kisala 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Kisala in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kisala, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kisala
The surname Kisala has its origins in the Polish language and culture. It emerged during the medieval period in the regions of modern-day western Poland, particularly around the towns of Poznań and Gniezno. The name is thought to be derived from the old Polish word "kisała," which referred to a type of fermented beverage made from grain, similar to beer or ale.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Kisala surname can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the Duchy of Poznań, where it was spelled as "Kisala." This document detailed the ownership of a small brewery by a man named Jan Kisala, lending credence to the name's connection to the beverage industry.
In the 16th century, the Kisala name appeared in various records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including a registry of land disputes in the town of Kalisz, where a family bearing the surname was involved in a property disagreement. Around this time, variations of the name, such as "Kisalla" and "Kisalla," were also documented.
One notable individual with the Kisala surname was Michał Kisala, a Polish nobleman and landowner who lived in the late 17th century. He was known for his philanthropic efforts, having established a school and a hospital in the town of Środa Wielkopolska.
In the 19th century, a Polish poet named Józef Kisala gained recognition for his works celebrating the beauty of the Polish countryside and its rural traditions. He was born in 1825 and passed away in 1891.
Another significant figure with this surname was Wanda Kisala, a Polish resistance fighter during World War II. She was born in 1912 and played a crucial role in smuggling weapons and supplies for the Polish underground forces fighting against the Nazi occupation. Kisala was executed by the Gestapo in 1944 for her involvement in the resistance movement.
While the Kisala surname has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and migration patterns. However, its historical significance and connections to the Polish culture and language remain deeply embedded in its origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kisala
Among Census respondents with the surname Kisala, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kisala 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 Kisala surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 83
- Black or African American7.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kisala
Kisala 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+11 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,870 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-14 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 1,870 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 11,129 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 Kisala 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 | #144,141 | #155,270 | -7.7% |
| Count | 115 | 101 | -12.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kisala bearers went from 115 to 101 (-12.2% change). The surname moved down 11,129 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #155,270.
FAQ
Kisala surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kisala?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Kisala. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Kisala?
Kisala ranks #155,270 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 101 people with the surname Kisala. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Kisala.
Has Kisala become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kisala went from 115 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kisala?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kisala, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) 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 Kisala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kisala appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (7.9%), 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 Kisala (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 Kisala mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Polish word meaning carp or a diminutive of a Slavic name. 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 Kisala (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 common is the surname Kisala?
See how many Americans have the surname Kisala on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.