2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kobilka
A Polish surname derived from the word "kobyła" meaning a mare or work horse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Kobilka. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kobilka 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Kobilka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kobilka, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kobilka
The surname KOBILKA has its origins in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Czech word "kobilka," which means "little mare" or "filly," suggesting a connection to horses or equestrian activities.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname KOBILKA can be found in a land registry from the village of Kobilky in the Pardubice region of the Czech Republic, dated 1278. This document lists several individuals with the surname, indicating its presence in the area during that time period.
In the 14th century, the KOBILKA name appears in various historical records from the Kingdom of Bohemia, including tax rolls and court documents. Notable individuals from this era include Jan KOBILKA, a landowner in the town of Litomyšl, who lived from around 1330 to 1395.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the KOBILKA surname spread throughout Bohemia and Moravia, as well as into neighboring regions such as Silesia and Slovakia. A prominent figure from this time was Václav KOBILKA, a merchant and alderman in the city of Olomouc, who lived from approximately 1470 to 1535.
In the 17th century, the KOBILKA name gained recognition through the work of Jiří KOBILKA, a renowned Czech painter and engraver who lived from 1590 to 1678. His intricate works adorned churches and monasteries throughout the region.
As the centuries progressed, the KOBILKA surname continued to be found across various parts of the Czech lands and Slovakia. Notable individuals include Tomáš KOBILKA, a prominent lawyer and judge in Brno, who lived from 1724 to 1797, and Jan KOBILKA, a respected educator and author from Bratislava, who lived from 1835 to 1911.
While the exact origins of the KOBILKA surname may be lost to history, its connection to horses and equestrian culture is evident in its etymology and persistence throughout the Czech Republic and Slovakia over many centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kobilka
Among Census respondents with the surname Kobilka, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kobilka 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 Kobilka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 101
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kobilka
Kobilka 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+12 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,862 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,879 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 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 2,862 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,879 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 Kobilka 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 | #143,149 | #145,028 | -1.3% |
| Count | 116 | 116 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kobilka bearers went from 116 to 116 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,028.
FAQ
Kobilka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kobilka?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Kobilka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Kobilka?
Kobilka ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Kobilka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Kobilka.
Has Kobilka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kobilka went from 116 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Kobilka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kobilka, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Kobilka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kobilka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Kobilka (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 Kobilka mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "kobyła" meaning a mare or work horse. 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 Kobilka (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 last name Kobilka?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Kobilka on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.