Find out how popular the last name Kopec is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kopec.

Kopec, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kopec surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kopec in America

Kopec is the 11865th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kopec surname appeared 2,639 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kopec.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kopec to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kopec

The surname Kopec originated in Poland and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "kopiec," which means "mound" or "hill." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or mound in the Polish countryside.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kopec can be found in the 14th century Polish tax records, known as the "Libri Bene c Regis." These records list several individuals with variations of the name, such as Kopecz and Kopiecz, indicating that the spelling was not yet standardized.

In the 16th century, the name Kopec appeared in various Polish chronicles and manuscripts, including the "Acta Tomiciana," a collection of documents from the reign of King Sigismund I the Old. These records provide insights into the lives and activities of individuals bearing the name during this period.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kopec surname gained prominence in several regions of Poland, particularly in the areas around Krakow and Poznan. Notable individuals from this time include Jan Kopec (1570-1631), a renowned Polish poet and writer, and Andrzej Kopec (1695-1763), a prominent Catholic priest and theologian.

As the Polish diaspora spread throughout Europe and beyond, the Kopec surname traveled with them. In the 19th century, we find records of individuals with this name in various European countries, such as Franciszek Kopec (1820-1884), a Polish-born painter and artist who worked in France.

Another notable figure was Józef Kopec (1876-1942), a Polish zoologist and biologist who made significant contributions to the field of embryology. He was a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and served as the rector of the university from 1936 to 1939.

In the 20th century, the Kopec surname continued to be associated with accomplished individuals in various fields. For instance, Kazimierz Kopec (1904-1981) was a Polish actor and theater director who worked extensively in both Poland and the United States.

It is worth noting that the name Kopec has also been found in other Slavic countries, such as Czech Republic and Slovakia, where it likely shares a similar etymology and history to its Polish counterpart.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kopec

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kopec.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kopec was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kopec has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kopec was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kopec, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!