2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koreski
A surname derived from the Polish word "Koreski" referring to a person from the region of Kurland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Koreski. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koreski 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Koreski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koreski, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koreski
The surname Koreski originated in Poland during the late 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "kores," which means "origin" or "root." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was considered a founding member or the root of a family or community.
The earliest recorded instance of the Koreski name can be found in a document from the town of Krakow, dated 1487. This document lists a merchant named Marcin Koreski, who was involved in the trade of textiles and spices.
Another notable figure with the Koreski surname was Jan Koreski, a Polish nobleman who lived in the late 16th century. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of the Polish Sejm (parliament) during the reign of King Sigismund III Vasa.
In the 17th century, the Koreski name appeared in records from the town of Poznan, where a family of artisans and craftsmen bearing this surname was known for their skilled woodworking and furniture-making.
During the 18th century, Katarzyna Koreski, a celebrated poet and writer, gained recognition for her works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Born in 1723 in Warsaw, her poetry was widely published and admired during her lifetime.
In the 19th century, a prominent Koreski family lived in the city of Krakow. One member, Tomasz Koreski, born in 1812, was a respected academic and professor of philosophy at the Jagiellonian University. His writings and lectures on ethics and moral philosophy were widely influential in Poland at the time.
Throughout its history, the Koreski surname has been associated with various professions, from merchants and nobility to artisans, writers, and academics. While its origins can be traced back to the late 15th century in Poland, the name has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koreski
Among Census respondents with the surname Koreski, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Koreski 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 Koreski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 10
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koreski
Koreski 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+14 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,631 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-10 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 3,631 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 11,305 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 Koreski 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 | #132,206 | #143,511 | -8.6% |
| Count | 128 | 118 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koreski bearers went from 128 to 118 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 11,305 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #143,511.
FAQ
Koreski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koreski?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Koreski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Koreski?
Koreski ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Koreski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Koreski.
Has Koreski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koreski went from 128 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Koreski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koreski, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Koreski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koreski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Hispanic (8.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Koreski (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 Koreski mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word "Koreski" referring to a person from the region of Kurland. 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 Koreski (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 people share the surname Koreski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.