2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koliopoulos
A Greek surname derived from the Greek word "kolios" meaning burnt or blackened, possibly referring to an occupation involving fire or burning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Koliopoulos. 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 Koliopoulos 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 Koliopoulos 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 Koliopoulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koliopoulos
The surname Koliopoulos originates from Greece and has its roots dating back to the Byzantine era. The name is derived from the Greek word "kolios," which means "short" or "small," and "poulos," meaning "son." As such, the name Koliopoulos translates to "son of the short or small person."
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 14th century, when it appeared in various historical documents and records from the regions of Peloponnese and the Aegean islands. It is believed that the name was initially used as a descriptive term for individuals of shorter stature or as a way to distinguish between families or clans.
One of the earliest known references to the Koliopoulos name can be found in a manuscript from the island of Santorini, dated around 1370. This document mentions a landowner named Georgios Koliopoulos, who owned several vineyards in the region.
In the 15th century, the name gained prominence in the city of Mystras, located in the Peloponnese region. Historical records from this period mention a prominent family of scholars and intellectuals bearing the Koliopoulos surname, who were actively involved in the cultural and academic circles of the time.
During the Ottoman rule in Greece, which lasted from the 15th to the early 19th century, the Koliopoulos name continued to be prevalent in various regions of the country. One notable figure from this period was Ioannis Koliopoulos (1720-1798), a renowned theologian and philosopher who taught at the Patriarchal School in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).
As the Greek War of Independence unfolded in the early 19th century, several individuals with the Koliopoulos surname played significant roles in the struggle against Ottoman rule. Among them was Konstantinos Koliopoulos (1782-1854), a military commander who fought alongside the revolutionary leader Theodoros Kolokotronis.
In more recent history, the Koliopoulos surname has been associated with notable figures in various fields, including academia, literature, and politics. One such individual was Ioannis Koliopoulos (1889-1964), a renowned historian and professor at the University of Athens, who authored several books on modern Greek history.
Another prominent figure was Menios Koliopoulos (1924-2010), a celebrated Greek poet and writer who was awarded the prestigious National Prize for Poetry in 1991 for his collection "The Body and the Days."
While the Koliopoulos surname has its roots in Greece, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and the Greek diaspora. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to this name can be found within the Greek cultural and historical context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koliopoulos
Among Census respondents with the surname Koliopoulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Koliopoulos 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 Koliopoulos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 12
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koliopoulos
Koliopoulos 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,774 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,774 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,355 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 Koliopoulos 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 | #141,140 | #146,495 | -3.8% |
| Count | 118 | 114 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koliopoulos bearers went from 118 to 114 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,355 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #146,495.
FAQ
Koliopoulos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koliopoulos?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Koliopoulos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Koliopoulos?
Koliopoulos 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 Koliopoulos. 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 Koliopoulos.
Has Koliopoulos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koliopoulos went from 118 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Koliopoulos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koliopoulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) 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 Koliopoulos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koliopoulos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (10.5%), 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 Koliopoulos (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 Koliopoulos mean?
A Greek surname derived from the Greek word "kolios" meaning burnt or blackened, possibly referring to an occupation involving fire or burning. 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 Koliopoulos (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 Americans have the surname Koliopoulos?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.