2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kolega
A surname with Slavic origins, possibly meaning "colleague" or "friend".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Kolega. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kolega 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Kolega in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolega, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kolega
The surname KOLEGA originates from Poland and the surrounding Slavic regions of Eastern Europe. It likely derives from the Old Slavic word "kolega", meaning companion or colleague. This surname emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the KOLEGA surname can be found in historical records and documents from medieval Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Some of the first known bearers of this name were nobles or landowners in these regions.
One notable early bearer of the KOLEGA surname was Jan Kolega, a Polish knight and military commander who fought in the Thirteen Years' War against the Teutonic Knights in the early 15th century. He played a key role in several battles and is mentioned in chronicles from that time.
Another historically significant figure with this surname was Stanisław Kolega, a 16th-century Polish writer and poet. He authored several works of literature and poetry that were popular during the Renaissance period in Poland.
In the 17th century, the KOLEGA surname appeared in records from the town of Kolega, located in what is now Belarus. This town's name may have influenced the spelling and spread of the surname in that region.
Moving into the 18th century, Michał Kolega was a prominent Polish landowner and nobleman who owned estates in the Kraków region. Records from that time period list him as a significant figure in local affairs.
Around the turn of the 19th century, Józef Kolega was a Polish military officer who fought in the Kościuszko Uprising against Russia and Prussia. He later served in the Polish Legions during the Napoleonic Wars.
While originating in Poland and the Slavic lands, the KOLEGA surname has since spread to various other countries and regions through migration and diaspora over the centuries. However, its roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to medieval Poland and the surrounding areas of Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kolega
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolega, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kolega 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 Kolega surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kolega
Kolega 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
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,685 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-7 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,685 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 8,191 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 Kolega 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 | #146,495 | -5.9% |
| Count | 121 | 114 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kolega bearers went from 121 to 114 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 8,191 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #146,495.
FAQ
Kolega surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kolega?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Kolega. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Kolega?
Kolega ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Kolega. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Kolega.
Has Kolega become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kolega went from 121 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Kolega?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolega, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Kolega in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kolega appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Kolega (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 Kolega mean?
A surname with Slavic origins, possibly meaning "colleague" or "friend". 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 Kolega (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 common is the surname Kolega?
You can see how many people have the surname Kolega on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.