2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Konowitz
A Konowitz was likely an occupational surname referring to a landowner or agricultural worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Konowitz. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Konowitz 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Konowitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Konowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Konowitz
The surname Konowitz originated in the Prussian region of what is now modern-day Poland and Germany. It is a locational surname derived from the town of Konitz, which is located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. The name is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century, during the period of German settlement and expansion into the region.
The name Konowitz is thought to have its roots in the Slavic word "konitz," which means "horse" or "horseman." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who worked with horses or were associated with equestrian activities in the area around Konitz.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Konowitz can be found in the 1410 Prussian census records, where a man named Hans Konowitz is listed as a resident of the town of Konitz. In the following centuries, the name appears in various historical documents and records throughout the region.
A notable bearer of the Konowitz surname was Johann Konowitz, a German military officer who served in the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). He was born in 1725 in the town of Konitz and rose through the ranks to become a respected commander.
Another individual with the Konowitz name was Katharina Konowitz, a 16th-century noblewoman from the Pomeranian region. She was recorded as owning significant landholdings in the area around the town of Konitz, which suggests that the Konowitz family held a prominent position in the local society.
In the 18th century, a man named Gottfried Konowitz made a name for himself as a renowned clockmaker and watchmaker in the city of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland). His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by wealthy patrons throughout the region.
A notable academic bearing the Konowitz surname was Professor Karl Konowitz, who lived in the late 19th century and was a respected scholar of Slavic languages and literature at the University of Berlin.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Konowicz, Konowits, and Konowicz, were common throughout the history of this surname due to regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Konowitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Konowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Konowitz 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 Konowitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 105
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Konowitz
Konowitz 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
#120,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
+11 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 157 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-35 bearers (-24.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,034 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,901 | 143 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 157 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -35 bearers (-24.5%) | Down 30,034 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 Konowitz 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 | #120,901 | #150,935 | -24.8% |
| Count | 143 | 108 | -24.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Konowitz bearers went from 143 to 108 (-24.5% change). The surname moved down 30,034 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,901 to #150,935.
FAQ
Konowitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Konowitz?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Konowitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Konowitz?
Konowitz ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Konowitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Konowitz.
Has Konowitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Konowitz went from 143 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 35 (-24.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,901 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Konowitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Konowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Konowitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Konowitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Konowitz (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 Konowitz mean?
A Konowitz was likely an occupational surname referring to a landowner or agricultural worker. 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 Konowitz (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 people have the last name Konowitz?
See how many Americans have the surname Konowitz on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.