2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Kosciusko
A Polish surname referring to someone from the village of Koscielisko.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Kosciusko. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kosciusko 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Kosciusko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosciusko, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kosciusko
The surname KOSCIUSKO originates from Poland, tracing its roots back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Polish town of Koscziwko, which is located in the Masovian region of central Poland. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old Slavic word "kosci," meaning "bones," combined with the diminutive suffix "-uszko."
The earliest recorded instances of the KOSCIUSKO surname can be found in various historical documents and records from the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Jakub Kosciusko in the registry of the town of Tykocin, dated 1596. Additionally, the name appears in the records of the Polish nobility from the late 17th century.
One of the most famous individuals bearing the KOSCIUSKO surname is Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817), a Polish military leader, and national hero who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's struggle for independence. He is renowned for his leadership in the Kosciuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794.
Another prominent figure with this surname is Andrzej Kosciusko (1611-1676), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Khmelnytsky Uprising and the Polish-Swedish wars. He is remembered for his bravery and strategic skills on the battlefield.
In the realm of literature, Karol Kosciusko (1819-1891) was a Polish writer and poet who gained recognition for his patriotic works and contributions to the Polish Romantic movement. His collection of poems, "Melodie Ojczyste" (Melodies of the Fatherland), published in 1860, is considered one of his most significant works.
Another notable figure is Joachim Kosciusko (1738-1792), a Polish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Warsaw and other cities in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. His most famous work is the Royal Castle in Warsaw, which he reconstructed and expanded in the late 18th century.
The KOSCIUSKO surname also appears in historical records from other countries, such as the United States, where it was brought by Polish immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. For instance, Kazimierz Kosciusko (1852-1925) was a Polish-American engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of early television technology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kosciusko
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosciusko, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kosciusko 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 Kosciusko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 94
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kosciusko
Kosciusko appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 4,250 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 Kosciusko 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 | #158,432 | #154,182 | 2.7% |
| Count | 102 | 103 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kosciusko bearers went from 102 to 103 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,250 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,182.
FAQ
Kosciusko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kosciusko?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Kosciusko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Kosciusko?
Kosciusko ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Kosciusko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Kosciusko.
Has Kosciusko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kosciusko went from 102 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Kosciusko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosciusko, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (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 Kosciusko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kosciusko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Black (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 Kosciusko (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 Kosciusko mean?
A Polish surname referring to someone from the village of Koscielisko. 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 Kosciusko (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 are called Kosciusko?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Kosciusko is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.