Find out how popular the last name Korpi is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Korpi.

Korpi, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Korpi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Korpi in America

Korpi is the 24499th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Korpi surname appeared 1,021 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Korpi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Korpi to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Korpi

The surname KORPI originates from Finland, with its roots tracing back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Finnish word "korpi," which means "backwoods" or "wilderness." This suggests that the name was initially assigned to individuals who lived or worked in remote, forested areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KORPI surname can be found in the parish records of Ilmajoki, a municipality in western Finland. In the year 1612, a man named Matti Korpi was mentioned in these records, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the KORPI name appeared in various Finnish documents, including tax records and land registries. For example, in 1684, a farmer named Heikki Korpi was listed as a landowner in the village of Tervola, located in the northern region of Finland.

Interestingly, the KORPI surname is also linked to several place names in Finland. The village of Korpiselkä, located in the municipality of Ilomantsi, translates to "backwoods bay," reflecting the name's connection to remote, forested areas. Similarly, the town of Korpilahti, meaning "backwoods bay," is situated in the Central Finland region.

One notable individual bearing the KORPI surname was Juhani Korpi, a Finnish military officer who lived from 1730 to 1795. He served in the Swedish-Finnish army during the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790 and is recognized for his bravery in battle.

Another prominent figure was Axel Korpi (1859-1935), a Finnish entrepreneur and industrialist. He founded the Korpi-yhtiöt (Korpi Companies), which played a significant role in the development of Finland's forestry and wood processing industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the field of literature, Mauri Korpi (1898-1978) was a renowned Finnish author and playwright. Some of his notable works include the novels "Pikkukaupungin kuvajainen" (Portrait of a Small Town) and "Syvän virran rannalla" (By the Deep Stream), which explored themes of rural life and social change in Finland.

Internationally, the KORPI surname has also been associated with individuals such as Elina Korpi, a Finnish fashion designer who launched her eponymous clothing line in the early 2000s, and Juha Korpi, a professional ice hockey player from Finland who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several teams between 1995 and 2007.

While the KORPI surname has its roots in Finland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins remain firmly rooted in the remote, forested landscapes of Finland, where it was first established centuries ago.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Korpi

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Korpi.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Korpi was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Korpi has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Korpi was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Korpi, please contact us.

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