2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kogon
A Ukrainian or Slavic surname that may refer to a chicken or rooster.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Kogon. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kogon 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Kogon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kogon, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kogon
The surname KOGON is of Russian origin, tracing its roots back to the 17th century. It is believed to have originated from the Russian word "kogot," which means "claw" or "talon." This could suggest that the name was initially given to individuals with distinctive physical features or perhaps to those who worked with animals or in professions involving the use of claws or talons.
The earliest recorded instances of the KOGON surname can be found in historical documents from the regions of Moscow and St. Petersburg. One notable mention is in the archives of the Novgorod Kremlin, where a merchant named Ivan KOGON is listed as a participant in a trade expedition to the Baltic states in the late 1600s.
In the 18th century, the KOGON name appeared in several military records from the Russian Empire. Nikolai KOGON, born in 1735, was a decorated officer in the Imperial Russian Army and participated in the Russo-Turkish Wars. His son, Fyodor KOGON (1768-1842), followed in his footsteps and served as a cavalry commander during the Napoleonic Wars.
During the 19th century, the KOGON surname gained prominence in the arts and literature. Yelizaveta KOGON (1810-1891) was a renowned Russian painter known for her portraits and landscapes. Her contemporary, Grigory KOGON (1818-1880), was a celebrated poet and playwright whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
In the early 20th century, the KOGON family made significant contributions to the fields of science and education. Nikolai KOGON (1887-1956) was a pioneering physicist who made groundbreaking discoveries in the study of radiation and its effects on living organisms. His sister, Anna KOGON (1892-1972), was an acclaimed educator and advocate for women's rights, establishing several schools and educational programs across Russia.
One of the most notable figures bearing the KOGON surname was Yevgeny KOGON (1903-1987), a writer, historian, and survivor of the Soviet Gulag system. His memoir, "The Gulag Archipelago," provided a harrowing account of life in the labor camps and became an influential work that shed light on the atrocities of the Stalin era.
While the KOGON surname is not as widely spread as some other Russian names, it has left an indelible mark on the country's history, contributing to various fields and leaving a lasting legacy through the accomplishments of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kogon
Among Census respondents with the surname Kogon, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kogon 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 Kogon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 103
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kogon
Kogon 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,834 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,834 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 Kogon 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 | #153,769 | #150,935 | 1.8% |
| Count | 106 | 108 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kogon bearers went from 106 to 108 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,834 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #150,935.
FAQ
Kogon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kogon?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Kogon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Kogon?
Kogon ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Kogon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Kogon.
Has Kogon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kogon went from 106 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Kogon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kogon, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Kogon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kogon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Kogon (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 Kogon mean?
A Ukrainian or Slavic surname that may refer to a chicken or rooster. 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 Kogon (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 surname Kogon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.