2000
#14,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,820
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Kolesar
A Slovak surname meaning wheelwright or cartwright.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,936 Americans carry the last name Kolesar. That puts it at #16,520 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 177,043 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kolesar 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
1.9K
1 in 177,043
Census rank
#16,520
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,688 bearers of the surname Kolesar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16520th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolesar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kolesar
The surname Kolesar has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly in the countries of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It is derived from the Slavic word "koles," which means "wheel" or "circle." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation related to the making or repairing of wheels, such as a wheelwright or a cartwright.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kolesar can be traced back to the 16th century in various historical documents and records from the region. One notable example is the mention of a certain Ján Kolesar in the municipal archives of the town of Trnava, Slovakia, dated 1572.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Kolesar began to spread across Central Europe, particularly in the areas of modern-day Slovakia, Czech Republic, and parts of Hungary. This was likely due to the mobility of skilled tradesmen, including wheelwrights, who traveled to different towns and villages in search of work.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the name Kolesar was Andrej Kolesar, a Slovak wheelwright born in 1624 in the village of Nitrianske Pravno. He is mentioned in the parish records of the local church, where his occupation is listed as "kolesamaker" (wheelmaker).
Another notable figure was Ján Kolesar (1714-1783), a Slovak poet and writer from the town of Liptovský Mikuláš. His works, written in the local dialect, are considered important examples of early Slovak literature.
In the 19th century, the name Kolesar began to appear in various historical records and documents across Central and Eastern Europe, reflecting the migration patterns of individuals and families bearing this surname.
One prominent individual was Karol Kolesar (1825-1891), a Slovak writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Slovak national revival movement. He was born in the town of Dolný Kubín and was a vocal advocate for the use of the Slovak language in literature and education.
Another notable figure was Josef Kolesar (1872-1946), a Czech engineer and inventor who held several patents related to agricultural machinery and equipment. He was born in the town of Hodonín and his inventions contributed to the modernization of farming practices in the region.
While the surname Kolesar is most commonly associated with Slovakia and the Czech Republic, it has also been found in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, likely due to migration and intermarriage between different Slavic communities over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kolesar
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolesar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kolesar 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 Kolesar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 1,592
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 45
- Two or more races1.9% · 32
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kolesar
Kolesar 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
#15,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,835
+15 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 937 places
2020
#16,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,688
-147 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 663 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,920 | 1,820 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,857 | 1,835 | 0.62 | +15 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 937 places |
| 2020 | #16,520 | 1,688 | 0.56 | -147 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 663 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 Kolesar 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 | #15,857 | #16,520 | -4.2% |
| Count | 1,835 | 1,688 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.56 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kolesar bearers went from 1,835 to 1,688 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 663 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,857 to #16,520.
FAQ
Kolesar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kolesar?
Name Census estimates that about 1,936 living Americans carry the surname Kolesar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 177,043 residents.
How common is Kolesar?
Kolesar ranks #16,520 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,688 people with the surname Kolesar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,936), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kolesar.
Has Kolesar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kolesar went from 1,835 recorded bearers to 1,688. That is a decrease of 147 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,857 to #16,520.
What does the Census say about the background of Kolesar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolesar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Kolesar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (1,592 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kolesar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Kolesar (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 Kolesar mean?
A Slovak surname meaning wheelwright or cartwright. 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 Kolesar (0.56 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 are called Kolesar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Kolesar at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.