2000
#11,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,437
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Konopka
A Polish occupational surname derived from the word "konopie," meaning "hemp," referring to a hemp grower or processor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,682 Americans carry the last name Konopka. That puts it at #12,607 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,798 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Konopka 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 Konopka with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,798
Census rank
#12,607
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,339 bearers of the surname Konopka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12607th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Konopka, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Konopka
The surname Konopka originated in Poland, with its roots tracing back to the 14th century. Derived from the Polish word "konopie," meaning "hemp," the name likely referred to an occupation or trade involving the cultivation or processing of hemp. This crop played a crucial role in the production of textiles, ropes, and other materials in medieval times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Konopka can be found in the Księga Henrykowska, a 14th-century manuscript from Silesia, which mentions a "Konopka de villa Konopatki" (Konopka from the village of Konopatki). This village name itself is a variation of the same root, suggesting a connection to the hemp industry in the region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth expanded, the Konopka surname spread across various territories. Historical records from this period, such as land registry documents and parish records, reveal individuals bearing this name in areas like Krakow, Lublin, and Lviv (now in Ukraine).
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Konopka was Jan Konopka (1677-1758), a prominent Roman Catholic priest and theologian from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He served as a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
Another historical figure of note was Feliks Konopka (1888-1982), a Polish engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing the first successful coal dust extraction system, which significantly improved safety conditions in coal mines. His innovations were widely adopted throughout the mining industry in the early 20th century.
The name Konopka also appeared in various place names across Eastern Europe, such as the village of Konopki in Belarus and the town of Konopkivka in Ukraine. These toponyms likely originated from individuals or families with the surname Konopka who settled in or founded these locations.
Other notable individuals with the surname Konopka throughout history include Stanisław Konopka (1896-1942), a Polish military officer and resistance fighter during World War II; Maria Konopka (1910-1990), a Polish-American social worker and educator; and Gérard Konopka (1915-1999), a French-American sociologist known for his work in community organization and social planning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Konopka
Among Census respondents with the surname Konopka, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Konopka 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 Konopka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 2,218
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 63
- Two or more races1.5% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Konopka
Konopka 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
#12,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,447
+10 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 874 places
2020
#12,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,339
-108 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,770 | 2,437 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,644 | 2,447 | 0.83 | +10 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 874 places |
| 2020 | #12,607 | 2,339 | 0.78 | -108 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 37 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 Konopka 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 | #12,644 | #12,607 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,447 | 2,339 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.78 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Konopka bearers went from 2,447 to 2,339 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,644 to #12,607.
FAQ
Konopka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Konopka?
Name Census estimates that about 2,682 living Americans carry the surname Konopka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,798 residents.
How common is Konopka?
Konopka ranks #12,607 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,339 people with the surname Konopka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,682), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Konopka.
Has Konopka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Konopka went from 2,447 recorded bearers to 2,339. That is a decrease of 108 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,644 to #12,607.
What does the Census say about the background of Konopka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Konopka, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Konopka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (2,218 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Konopka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Konopka (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 Konopka mean?
A Polish occupational surname derived from the word "konopie," meaning "hemp," referring to a hemp grower or processor. 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 Konopka (0.78 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 Konopka?
See how many Americans have the surname Konopka on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.