2000
#13,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,076
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Kopecky
A Czech occupational surname derived from kopec, meaning "hill," likely referring to someone living on or near a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,065 Americans carry the last name Kopecky. That puts it at #15,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kopecky 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
2.1K
1 in 165,983
Census rank
#15,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,801 bearers of the surname Kopecky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopecky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kopecky
The surname Kopecky originates from the Czech Republic and has its roots dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Czech word "kopec," which means "hill" or "mound." The name likely referred to someone who lived on or near a hill or a mound.
The earliest recorded instance of the Kopecky surname can be traced back to a document from the year 1285, where a certain Petr Kopecky was mentioned as a landowner in the village of Velká Bystřice, located in the region of Moravia.
During the Middle Ages, the Kopecky name appeared in several historical records and manuscripts, often associated with noble families or landowners in the Czech lands. One notable example is the Kopecky family of Litoměřice, who were prominent landowners and held significant influence in the region during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Kopecky was found in the records of the town of Brno, where a merchant named Jan Kopecky was mentioned as a respected member of the local guild. Another notable figure was Jakub Kopecky (1567-1632), a renowned painter and engraver who worked in Prague and is considered one of the pioneers of Czech Renaissance art.
The 17th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals bearing the Kopecky surname. One of them was Václav Kopecky (1620-1691), a Baroque composer and organist who served at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna. Another was Tomáš Kopecky (1643-1708), a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
In the 18th century, the Kopecky name gained prominence in the literary and academic circles of the Czech lands. Josef Kopecky (1735-1801) was a renowned Czech writer and translator who played a vital role in the revival of the Czech language and literature during the Czech National Revival period.
Throughout history, the Kopecky surname has been associated with various professions, from artists and musicians to scholars and landowners. While the name originated in the Czech Republic, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kopecky
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopecky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kopecky 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 Kopecky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,680
- Two or more races2.8% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kopecky
Kopecky 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
#14,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,034
-42 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,180 places
2020
#15,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,801
-233 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 988 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,451 | 2,076 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,631 | 2,034 | 0.69 | -42 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 1,180 places |
| 2020 | #15,619 | 1,801 | 0.60 | -233 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 988 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 Kopecky 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 | #14,631 | #15,619 | -6.8% |
| Count | 2,034 | 1,801 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.60 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kopecky bearers went from 2,034 to 1,801 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 988 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,631 to #15,619.
FAQ
Kopecky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kopecky?
Name Census estimates that about 2,065 living Americans carry the surname Kopecky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,983 residents.
How common is Kopecky?
Kopecky ranks #15,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,801 people with the surname Kopecky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,065), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Kopecky.
Has Kopecky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kopecky went from 2,034 recorded bearers to 1,801. That is a decrease of 233 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,631 to #15,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Kopecky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopecky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kopecky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,680 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kopecky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kopecky (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 Kopecky mean?
A Czech occupational surname derived from kopec, meaning "hill," likely referring to someone living on or near a hill. 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 Kopecky (0.60 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 Americans have the surname Kopecky?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.