2000
#91,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Kociemba
A Polish surname likely derived from a place name or an occupational name related to brewing or innkeeping.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 212 Americans carry the last name Kociemba. That puts it at #103,399 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,616,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kociemba 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
212
1 in 1,616,766
Census rank
#103,399
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
185
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 185 bearers of the surname Kociemba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 103399th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kociemba, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kociemba
The surname Kociemba is of Polish origin, originating in the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "kocioł," meaning "cauldron" or "kettle," and the diminutive suffix "-emba." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who made or worked with cauldrons or kettles.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kociemba can be found in historical records from the Kraków region of Poland. In the 16th century, the name appears in various municipal and church records, indicating that it was already established in this area.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Kociemba was Jan Kociemba, a blacksmith who lived in the village of Mogilany near Kraków in the late 16th century. His name is recorded in the parish records of the local church.
In the 17th century, the name Kociemba can be found in the records of the city of Kraków itself. Bartłomiej Kociemba, a merchant and tradesman, is mentioned in the city's guild records from the 1640s.
As the name spread beyond its original region, variations in spelling emerged. In the 18th century, records from the Lublin region of eastern Poland show instances of the name spelled as "Kociamba" or "Koczemba."
One notable figure with the surname Kociemba was Franciszek Kociemba, a Polish military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was born in 1785 and fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.
Another individual of historical significance was Józef Kociemba, a Polish Catholic priest and writer who lived in the late 19th century. He was born in 1848 and authored several religious works and theological treatises.
In the 20th century, the name Kociemba gained wider recognition with Zbigniew Kociemba, a Polish mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of combinatorial game theory. He was born in 1935 and published numerous papers and books on game theory and related topics.
The surname Kociemba has also been associated with several place names in Poland, such as the village of Kociembów in the Lublin region, which may have derived its name from the surname itself or vice versa.
While the exact origins of the name Kociemba remain somewhat obscure, its historical records and variations provide insights into its evolution and spread throughout Poland over the centuries. The name continues to be carried by individuals of Polish descent around the world today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kociemba
Among Census respondents with the surname Kociemba, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kociemba 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 Kociemba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 167
- Two or more races5.9% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kociemba
Kociemba 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
#97,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
-1 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,206 places
2020
#103,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 185
-2 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,189 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,004 | 188 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #97,210 | 187 | 0.06 | -1 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 6,206 places |
| 2020 | #103,399 | 185 | 0.06 | -2 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 6,189 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 Kociemba 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 | #97,210 | #103,399 | -6.4% |
| Count | 187 | 185 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kociemba bearers went from 187 to 185 (-1.1% change). The surname moved down 6,189 positions in the national ranking, going from #97,210 to #103,399.
FAQ
Kociemba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kociemba?
Name Census estimates that about 212 living Americans carry the surname Kociemba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,616,766 residents.
How common is Kociemba?
Kociemba ranks #103,399 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 185 people with the surname Kociemba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Kociemba.
Has Kociemba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kociemba went from 187 recorded bearers to 185. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #97,210 to #103,399.
What does the Census say about the background of Kociemba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kociemba, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Kociemba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (167 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kociemba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Kociemba (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 Kociemba mean?
A Polish surname likely derived from a place name or an occupational name related to brewing or innkeeping. 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 Kociemba (0.06 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 Kociemba?
Want to know how many people have the last name Kociemba? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.