2000
#11,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,623
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Kopec
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,821 Americans carry the last name Kopec. That puts it at #12,096 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kopec 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 Kopec with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,501
Census rank
#12,096
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,460 bearers of the surname Kopec in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12096th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopec, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kopec
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopec, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kopec 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 Kopec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 2,321
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 68
- Two or more races2.0% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kopec
Kopec 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
#11,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,639
+16 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 760 places
2020
#12,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,460
-179 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,105 | 2,623 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,865 | 2,639 | 0.89 | +16 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 760 places |
| 2020 | #12,096 | 2,460 | 0.82 | -179 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 231 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 Kopec 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 | #11,865 | #12,096 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,639 | 2,460 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.82 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kopec bearers went from 2,639 to 2,460 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 231 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,865 to #12,096.
FAQ
Kopec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kopec?
Name Census estimates that about 2,821 living Americans carry the surname Kopec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,501 residents.
How common is Kopec?
Kopec ranks #12,096 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,460 people with the surname Kopec. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,821), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Kopec.
Has Kopec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kopec went from 2,639 recorded bearers to 2,460. That is a decrease of 179 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,865 to #12,096.
What does the Census say about the background of Kopec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopec, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Kopec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (2,321 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kopec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Kopec (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 Kopec mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or mountain. 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 Kopec (0.82 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 share the surname Kopec?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.