2000
#11,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Kosinski
A Polish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Kosina's town" or "Kosina's settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,756 Americans carry the last name Kosinski. That puts it at #12,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,367 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kosinski 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kosinski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 124,367
Census rank
#12,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,403 bearers of the surname Kosinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kosinski
The surname Kosinski has its origins in Poland, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages. It is a Polish adaptation of the Slavic personal name "Kosma," derived from the Greek name "Kosmas," meaning "order" or "harmony." This personal name was often bestowed upon children to signify a desire for an orderly life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kosinski can be found in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of historical records from the 15th century. These documents mention a certain Andrzej Kosinski, who was a landowner in the region of Krakow during that time period. The name also appears in various Polish parish records and tax registers from the 16th and 17th centuries.
During the 16th century, the Kosinski surname was particularly prevalent in the areas surrounding the town of Bydgoszcz, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The town's name is derived from the Old Polish word "bydgost," meaning "a place where cattle were kept." It is believed that some branches of the Kosinski family may have originated from or had ties to this region.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Kosinski was Józef Kosinski (1933-1991), a Polish-American novelist and academic. Born in Łódź, Poland, he is best known for his novels "The Painted Bird" and "Being There," both of which were adapted into successful films. His works often explored themes of identity, alienation, and the human condition.
Another prominent figure was Jerzy Kosinski (1933-1991), a Polish-American sociologist and political scientist. He was born in Lodz, Poland, and immigrated to the United States after World War II. Kosinski made significant contributions to the study of totalitarianism and was a professor at the University of Michigan.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Kosinski family settled in the Galician region of modern-day Ukraine, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable member of this branch was Tadeusz Kosinski (1771-1842), a Polish military officer and engineer who served in the Polish Legions during the Napoleonic Wars.
The surname Kosinski can also be found in historical records from other regions of Europe, such as Germany and Russia, where Polish immigrants settled over the centuries. However, its roots remain firmly planted in Poland, where it has been a part of the cultural fabric for hundreds of years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kosinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kosinski 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 Kosinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,228
- Two or more races3.7% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kosinski
Kosinski 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
#11,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,646
+57 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 605 places
2020
#12,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,403
-243 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 516 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,224 | 2,589 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,829 | 2,646 | 0.90 | +57 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 605 places |
| 2020 | #12,345 | 2,403 | 0.80 | -243 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 516 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 Kosinski 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 | #11,829 | #12,345 | -4.4% |
| Count | 2,646 | 2,403 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.80 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kosinski bearers went from 2,646 to 2,403 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 516 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,829 to #12,345.
FAQ
Kosinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kosinski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,756 living Americans carry the surname Kosinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,367 residents.
How common is Kosinski?
Kosinski ranks #12,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,403 people with the surname Kosinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,756), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kosinski.
Has Kosinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kosinski went from 2,646 recorded bearers to 2,403. That is a decrease of 243 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,829 to #12,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Kosinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Kosinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kosinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Kosinski (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 Kosinski mean?
A Polish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Kosina's town" or "Kosina's settlement." 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 Kosinski (0.80 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 Kosinski?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Kosinski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.