2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kobelski
A surname of Polish origin, likely derived from the personal name Kobel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Kobelski. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kobelski 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Kobelski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kobelski, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kobelski
The surname Kobelski originates from Poland and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "kobel," which means a male dog or a mongrel. The name likely referred to someone who worked with dogs, such as a huntsman or a dog breeder.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Kobelski can be found in the parish records of the town of Krakow, Poland, from the year 1572. The name was also mentioned in the Polish court records of the same period, indicating that some individuals bearing this surname held positions of authority or nobility.
In the 17th century, the Kobelski family established themselves in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The name appeared in various local records and documents, including land ownership deeds and tax rolls.
One notable individual with the surname Kobelski was Jan Kobelski, a Polish poet and playwright who lived between 1550 and 1621. His works were highly regarded during the Renaissance period and contributed to the development of Polish literature.
Another significant figure was Wawrzyniec Kobelski, a Polish military commander who fought in the Kościuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794. He played a crucial role in the defense of Warsaw and was later honored for his bravery and leadership.
In the 19th century, the Kobelski family spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany and Russia. One member, Aleksander Kobelski (1816-1898), was a renowned Russian architect who designed several notable buildings in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Kobelskis immigrated to the United States, settling in cities like Chicago, New York, and Detroit. One prominent figure from this period was Stanislaw Kobelski (1879-1948), a Polish-American artist known for his landscape paintings and portraits.
It is worth noting that variations of the name, such as Kobielski, Kobilski, and Kobelski, can also be found in historical records, reflecting regional spelling differences or changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kobelski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kobelski, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kobelski 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 Kobelski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 118
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kobelski
Kobelski 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+12 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,452 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,005 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 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 2,452 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,005 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 Kobelski 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 | #138,304 | #141,309 | -2.2% |
| Count | 121 | 121 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kobelski bearers went from 121 to 121 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 3,005 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #141,309.
FAQ
Kobelski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kobelski?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Kobelski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Kobelski?
Kobelski ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Kobelski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Kobelski.
Has Kobelski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kobelski went from 121 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Kobelski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kobelski, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Kobelski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kobelski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Black (0.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Kobelski (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 Kobelski mean?
A surname of Polish origin, likely derived from the personal name Kobel. 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 Kobelski (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 share the surname Kobelski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.