2000
#12,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Kolodziej
An occupational surname referring to a wheelwright or cart maker in Polish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,564 Americans carry the last name Kolodziej. That puts it at #13,123 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kolodziej 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kolodziej with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,680
Census rank
#13,123
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,236 bearers of the surname Kolodziej in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13123rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolodziej, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kolodziej
The surname KOLODZIEJ originates from Poland and dates back several centuries. It is derived from the old Polish word "kołodziej," meaning "cartwright" or "wheelwright," referring to a skilled craftsman who made wheels and carts. The name likely emerged as an occupational surname, given to individuals who practiced this trade.
KOLODZIEJ has its roots in various regions of Poland, particularly in the central and eastern parts of the country. The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in historical documents and records from the 15th and 16th centuries.
One notable historical reference involving the name KOLODZIEJ is found in the "Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie" (Acts of the Grod and Land Courts), a collection of legal documents from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth dating back to the 16th century. These records mention individuals with the surname KOLODZIEJ engaged in various legal matters and transactions.
Among the earliest recorded individuals bearing this surname was Jan KOLODZIEJ, a cartwright from the town of Kraków in the late 15th century. Another early example is Maciej KOLODZIEJ, a wheelwright from the village of Oleszyce, born around 1520.
Over the centuries, the KOLODZIEJ surname has been associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Stanisław KOLODZIEJ (1624-1677), a Polish nobleman and military officer who fought in the Swedish-Polish wars of the 17th century.
Another prominent bearer of the KOLODZIEJ name was Andrzej KOLODZIEJ (1798-1865), a Polish writer, journalist, and political activist who played a significant role in the November Uprising against Russian rule in the early 19th century.
In more recent times, Kazimierz KOLODZIEJ (1918-1994) was a respected Polish architect known for his contributions to the reconstruction of Warsaw after World War II.
Additionally, the name KOLODZIEJ has been linked to various place names and locations in Poland, such as the village of Kolodziejewo in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, which likely derived its name from the presence of cartwright families in the area.
Throughout history, variations in the spelling of the KOLODZIEJ surname have been observed, including Kolodziey, Kolodziej, and Kolodziejczyk, among others. These variations often resulted from regional dialects, transcription errors, or attempts to adapt the name to different linguistic environments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kolodziej
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolodziej, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kolodziej 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 Kolodziej surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 2,116
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 56
- Two or more races1.9% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kolodziej
Kolodziej 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
#13,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,265
-4 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 921 places
2020
#13,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,236
-29 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 322 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,524 | 2,269 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,445 | 2,265 | 0.77 | -4 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 921 places |
| 2020 | #13,123 | 2,236 | 0.75 | -29 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 322 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 Kolodziej 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 | #13,445 | #13,123 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,265 | 2,236 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.75 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kolodziej bearers went from 2,265 to 2,236 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 322 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,445 to #13,123.
FAQ
Kolodziej surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kolodziej?
Name Census estimates that about 2,564 living Americans carry the surname Kolodziej. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,680 residents.
How common is Kolodziej?
Kolodziej ranks #13,123 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,236 people with the surname Kolodziej. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Kolodziej.
Has Kolodziej become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kolodziej went from 2,265 recorded bearers to 2,236. That is a decrease of 29 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,445 to #13,123.
What does the Census say about the background of Kolodziej?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kolodziej, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) 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 Kolodziej in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (2,116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kolodziej appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.5%), 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 Kolodziej (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 Kolodziej mean?
An occupational surname referring to a wheelwright or cart maker in Polish. 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 Kolodziej (0.75 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 Kolodziej?
If you just want to know how many people are called Kolodziej, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.