2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kordis
An occupational surname derived from the Greek word "kordis," meaning a shoemaker or cobbler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Kordis. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kordis 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Kordis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kordis, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kordis
The surname Kordis is believed to have originated in the Balkan region, specifically in Croatia and surrounding areas. It is thought to derive from the Slavic root word "korda," meaning "cord" or "rope." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation or trade involving cords or ropes, such as a rope maker or someone involved in textile production.
The earliest known records of the name Kordis can be traced back to the 16th century in various documents and manuscripts from the Croatian regions. One notable mention is found in the parish records of the town of Zadar, where a family by the name of Kordis is listed as residents in the year 1589.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Kordis began to spread across the Balkans, appearing in historical records from Bosnia, Serbia, and Montenegro. In these regions, variations of the name emerged, such as Kordić, Kordić, and Kordysh, reflecting the linguistic differences and dialects of the areas.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Kordis was Marko Kordis, a Croatian merchant who lived in the city of Dubrovnik in the late 16th century. His trade activities are documented in the archives of the Ragusan Republic, which governed the city at the time.
Another notable figure was Ivan Kordis, a Croatian military leader who fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Great Turkish War in the late 17th century. He is mentioned in historical accounts for his bravery and leadership in the Battle of Mohács in 1687.
In the 19th century, a prominent individual with the surname Kordis was Petar Kordis (1824-1892), a Croatian poet and writer who was part of the Illyrian movement, which aimed to unite the South Slavic people under a common cultural and linguistic identity.
As the surname spread across Europe, it also found its way to other regions through migration and diaspora. For instance, there are records of individuals with the name Kordis living in Germany and Austria in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, likely descendants of Croatian or Balkan immigrants.
One noteworthy individual from this period was Miloš Kordis (1867-1943), a Serbian engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early radio technology and wireless communication systems.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kordis
Among Census respondents with the surname Kordis, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kordis 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 Kordis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 98
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kordis
Kordis 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-6 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,059 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-20 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,997 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 13,059 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 17,997 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 Kordis 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 | #135,593 | #153,590 | -13.3% |
| Count | 124 | 104 | -16.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kordis bearers went from 124 to 104 (-16.1% change). The surname moved down 17,997 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #153,590.
FAQ
Kordis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kordis?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Kordis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Kordis?
Kordis ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Kordis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kordis.
Has Kordis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kordis went from 124 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Kordis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kordis, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Kordis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kordis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Kordis (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 Kordis mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Greek word "kordis," meaning a shoemaker or cobbler. 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 Kordis (0.03 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 have the surname Kordis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.