2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Kosenko
A surname derived from the Ukrainian word 'kosa' meaning scythe or sickle, relating to an occupation or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Kosenko. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kosenko 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Kosenko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kosenko
The surname Kosenko originated in Ukraine, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Slavic root "kosa," which means "scythe" or "sickle," suggesting that the name's earliest bearers may have been involved in agricultural work or related trades.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kosenko can be found in the Cossack Registers of the Zaporizhian Host, a semi-autonomous Cossack military formation in what is now southern Ukraine. These registers, dating back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries, contain numerous entries of individuals bearing the surname Kosenko.
In the 18th century, the name Kosenko appeared in various historical records, including church registers and census documents from the regions of Poltava, Chernihiv, and Kyiv in central and eastern Ukraine. These records often included variations in the spelling, such as Kosenko, Kosinko, or Kosinka, reflecting local linguistic differences.
Historically, the Kosenko surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Hryhoriy Kosenko (1699-1768), a prominent Cossack leader and military commander who played a significant role in the Cossack revolts against Russian imperial rule in the mid-18th century.
Another notable bearer of the Kosenko surname was Mykhailo Kosenko (1835-1895), a Ukrainian artist and painter who made significant contributions to the development of Ukrainian realist art in the 19th century. His works often depicted scenes from everyday life and rural landscapes.
In the field of literature, Olena Kosenko (1892-1926) was a prominent Ukrainian writer and poet. Her works, which explored themes of social injustice and the plight of women, were heavily influenced by the turbulent events of the early 20th century in Ukraine.
Vasyl Kosenko (1896-1938) was a renowned Ukrainian composer and conductor who played a crucial role in the development of Ukrainian classical music. His compositions, which included operas, symphonies, and choral works, drew inspiration from Ukrainian folk traditions and helped establish a distinctive national musical style.
Finally, Hryhoriy Kosenko (1899-1976) was a renowned Ukrainian linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of the Ukrainian language and its dialects. His research and publications helped to establish Ukrainian as a distinct and recognized language separate from Russian.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kosenko
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kosenko 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 Kosenko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 109
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kosenko
Kosenko 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
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+20 bearers (+19.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 18,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+19.8%) | Up 18,403 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 Kosenko 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 | #159,712 | #141,309 | 11.5% |
| Count | 101 | 121 | 19.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 34.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kosenko bearers went from 101 to 121 (+19.8% change). The surname moved up 18,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #141,309.
FAQ
Kosenko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kosenko?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Kosenko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Kosenko?
Kosenko ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Kosenko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Kosenko.
Has Kosenko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kosenko went from 101 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 20 (+19.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Kosenko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (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 Kosenko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kosenko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Black (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 Kosenko (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 Kosenko mean?
A surname derived from the Ukrainian word 'kosa' meaning scythe or sickle, relating to an occupation or place name. 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 Kosenko (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 Kosenko?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.