2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kopit
A Ukrainian surname derived from the word "kopiy" meaning spear or lance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Kopit. 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 Kopit 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 Kopit 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 Kopit, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kopit
The surname Kopit has its origins in the Central European region, specifically in parts of modern-day Poland and Belarus. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the 16th or 17th century, derived from the Slavic word "kopyt," which refers to a hoof or a cloven foot. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who worked with horses or other hoofed animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kopit can be found in a 17th-century Polish parish register from the village of Tarnogród. The entry mentions a certain Mikołaj Kopit, who was a farmer and landowner in the area. Another early reference comes from a Belarusian tax record from the late 18th century, which lists a Jakub Kopit among the taxpayers.
In the 19th century, the name Kopit began to spread more widely across Eastern Europe, with records indicating individuals bearing this surname in various towns and cities. A notable example is the Russian painter Semyon Kopit (1808-1872), whose works depicted scenes from everyday life in Imperial Russia.
As the 20th century dawned, the Kopit surname continued to be present in various parts of Eastern Europe. One notable figure was the Polish-born American businessman and philanthropist Meyer Kopit (1894-1988), who founded the Kopit Associates textile company and was involved in various charitable initiatives.
Another individual of note was the Soviet writer and journalist Yevgeny Kopit (1919-1996), whose works covered topics such as World War II and the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline railway. Kopit's literary contributions earned him recognition within the Soviet Union.
In more recent times, the Kopit surname has gained recognition in the realm of theater and literature. American playwright Arthur Kopit (born 1937) is known for his critically acclaimed plays, including "Indians" and "Wings," which explore themes of identity and societal issues.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Kopiť, Kopyt, or Kopits, may also be encountered, reflecting regional linguistic differences and historical migrations of individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kopit
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopit, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kopit 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 Kopit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kopit
Kopit 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,418 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,418 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Kopit 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kopit bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Kopit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kopit?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Kopit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Kopit?
Kopit 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 Kopit. 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 Kopit.
Has Kopit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kopit went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Kopit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kopit, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Kopit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kopit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Kopit (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 Kopit mean?
A Ukrainian surname derived from the word "kopiy" meaning spear or lance. 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 Kopit (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 common is the surname Kopit?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Kopit is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.