2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kolakoski
A surname of Eastern European origin, possibly Polish or Czech.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Kolakoski. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kolakoski 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Kolakoski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolakoski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kolakoski
The surname Kolakoski originated in Poland, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Polish word "kolak," which means "a pole" or "a stake," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person who made or worked with poles or stakes, perhaps in construction or forestry.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kolakoski can be found in the Polish town of Krakow's municipal records from the late 1500s, where a certain Jan Kolakoski was listed as a resident. This suggests that the name was already established in the region during that time period.
In the 17th century, the name Kolakoski appeared in various Polish historical documents, including land deeds and legal records. One notable individual bearing this surname was Tomasz Kolakoski, a prominent landowner and nobleman who lived in the town of Poznan in the mid-1600s.
As the centuries passed, the Kolakoski family spread across different regions of Poland, and some members of the family eventually emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. In the 19th century, a Kolakoski family from the Galicia region of Poland settled in the United States, establishing one of the first branches of the name in North America.
Among the notable figures with the Kolakoski surname throughout history are:
1. Kazimierz Kolakoski (1834-1899), a Polish mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the field of number theory.
2. Helena Kolakoski (1876-1952), a Polish-born American artist and painter known for her landscape and still-life works.
3. Waclaw Kolakoski (1901-1978), a Polish-born Canadian engineer who played a crucial role in the development of hydroelectric power plants in Quebec.
4. Jadwiga Kolakoski (1924-2010), a Polish resistance fighter during World War II and later a prominent human rights activist.
5. Andrzej Kolakoski (born 1949), a renowned Polish composer and conductor who has written numerous symphonic and chamber works.
While the surname Kolakoski may not be as well-known as some other Polish surnames, its long history and presence across various regions and professions demonstrate its enduring legacy and contribution to the rich tapestry of Polish culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kolakoski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolakoski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kolakoski 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 Kolakoski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kolakoski
Kolakoski 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,320 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-12 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,482 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 4,320 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 11,482 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 Kolakoski 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 | #140,157 | #151,639 | -8.2% |
| Count | 119 | 107 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kolakoski bearers went from 119 to 107 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 11,482 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #151,639.
FAQ
Kolakoski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kolakoski?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Kolakoski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Kolakoski?
Kolakoski ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Kolakoski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Kolakoski.
Has Kolakoski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kolakoski went from 119 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Kolakoski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolakoski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Kolakoski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kolakoski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (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 Kolakoski (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 Kolakoski mean?
A surname of Eastern European origin, possibly Polish or Czech. 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 Kolakoski (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 Kolakoski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.