2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koperna
A surname derived from the Polish word "koperek" meaning dill plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Koperna. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koperna 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Koperna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koperna, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koperna
The surname Koperna is of Polish origin, with its roots traced back to the mid-16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Polish word "koperka," meaning "dill," which was a common herb used in traditional Polish cuisine and folk remedies.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name was often spelled as "Koperniak" or "Kopernik," with slight variations in spelling due to regional dialects and scribal errors. One of the earliest known references to this surname can be found in the records of the Tarnów Land Registry from 1564, where a certain Jan Kopernik is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Nowa Wieś.
The name gained prominence in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when it was associated with the renowned Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543). Although his surname was spelled differently (Kopernik), it is believed to have shared a common linguistic origin with Koperna.
Throughout the centuries, the Koperna surname has been carried by various notable individuals, including Karol Koperna (1815-1875), a Polish politician and member of the Prussian Landtag, and Józef Koperna (1871-1935), a Polish painter and art teacher who specialized in portraiture and landscape paintings.
Another noteworthy figure was Władysław Koperna (1901-1987), a Polish architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts of Warsaw after World War II. His designs and contributions helped shape the city's post-war landscape.
In the 18th century, the Koperna surname also appeared in the records of the Płock region, where a family of landowners and farmers bearing this name was documented. One such individual was Jan Koperna (1732-1814), a prominent landowner and agricultural reformer who introduced innovative farming techniques to the area.
While the Koperna surname has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the fertile lands of central and eastern Poland, where the humble dill plant once played a significant role in the region's culinary and medicinal traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koperna
Among Census respondents with the surname Koperna, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Koperna 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 Koperna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 105
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koperna
Koperna 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+7 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,208 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 2,208 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,887 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 Koperna 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 | #150,452 | #152,339 | -1.3% |
| Count | 109 | 106 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koperna bearers went from 109 to 106 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,887 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #152,339.
FAQ
Koperna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koperna?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Koperna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Koperna?
Koperna ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Koperna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Koperna.
Has Koperna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koperna went from 109 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Koperna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koperna, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (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 Koperna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koperna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (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 Koperna (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 Koperna mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word "koperek" meaning dill plant. 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 Koperna (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 Americans have the surname Koperna?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.