2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koloff
A surname derived from a Slavic word meaning "circle" or "hoop".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Koloff. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koloff 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Koloff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koloff, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koloff
The surname KOLOFF is of Russian origin, with its roots tracing back to the 18th century. The name is derived from the Russian word "kolokol," which translates to "bell" in English. This connection suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been associated with bell-making or lived near a bell tower.
The earliest recorded instances of the KOLOFF surname can be found in historical documents from the Novgorod region of Russia, where it first appeared as "Kolokol'ev" or "Kolokolov." These variations were likely a result of regional dialects and spelling conventions at the time.
One notable historical reference to the KOLOFF name is found in the "Veliky Novgorod Chronicles," a collection of medieval manuscripts that documented the events and people of the Novgorod Republic. These chronicles mention a merchant named Ivan Kolokol'ev, who lived in the late 15th century and was involved in trade with the Hanseatic League.
As the surname spread across Russia, it evolved into various spellings, such as "Kolokoff," "Kolokow," and eventually "KOLOFF." This diversification of spellings was common during the period when standardized spelling conventions were not yet established.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the KOLOFF surname was Andrei Kolokoff, born in 1698 in the village of Borovichi, near Novgorod. He was a skilled blacksmith and is credited with crafting intricate iron gates for the Novgorod Kremlin, which still stand today.
Another notable bearer of the KOLOFF name was Yekaterina Kolokova (1795-1868), a renowned Russian opera singer who performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Her powerful voice and theatrical presence earned her widespread acclaim during her career.
In the 19th century, the KOLOFF surname gained prominence with the birth of Nikolai Kolokoff (1837-1899), a celebrated Russian painter known for his vivid landscapes and depictions of rural life. His works are featured in several prestigious art museums across Russia and Europe.
Fyodor Kolokoff (1859-1931) was a prominent Russian engineer who played a pivotal role in the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, one of the longest railroads in the world. His innovative solutions to engineering challenges contributed significantly to the completion of this monumental project.
As the KOLOFF surname spread beyond Russia's borders, it gained recognition in other parts of the world. One such individual was Mikhail Kolokoff (1901-1982), a Russian-born American artist whose abstract expressionist paintings were widely celebrated in the United States during the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koloff
Among Census respondents with the surname Koloff, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Koloff 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 Koloff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 83
- Black or African American6.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koloff
Koloff appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 725 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 725 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 Koloff 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 | #154,907 | #154,182 | 0.5% |
| Count | 105 | 103 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koloff bearers went from 105 to 103 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 725 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #154,182.
FAQ
Koloff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koloff?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Koloff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Koloff?
Koloff ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Koloff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Koloff.
Has Koloff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koloff went from 105 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Koloff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koloff, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Koloff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koloff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (6.8%), Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Koloff (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 Koloff mean?
A surname derived from a Slavic word meaning "circle" or "hoop". 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 Koloff (0.03 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 last name Koloff?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Koloff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.