2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kosowicz
A surname originating from Poland, derived from a diminutive form of the word "kosa" meaning scythe or sickle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Kosowicz. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kosowicz 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Kosowicz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosowicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kosowicz
The surname KOSOWICZ is believed to have originated in Poland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Polish word "kosowice," which refers to a type of meadow or grassy area. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational or locational surname, referring to someone who lived or worked in a meadow-like region.
The name KOSOWICZ can trace its roots back to the 14th and 15th centuries, when it first appeared in various records and documents from the Polish regions. One of the earliest known mentions of the name was found in the "Księga Ziemska Krakowska" (The Land Book of Krakow), a historical document from the late 15th century, where a certain "Jan Kosowicz" was listed as a landowner in the region.
Throughout the centuries, the KOSOWICZ surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Józef Kosowicz (1820-1898), a Polish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Stanisław Kosowicz (1837-1909), a Polish painter and art professor who played a crucial role in the development of Polish academic painting in the 19th century.
The name KOSOWICZ has also been found in various historical records from other parts of Europe. In the 17th century, a German variant of the name, "Kosowitz," appeared in documents from the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Furthermore, there are records of a Russian family with the surname "Косович" (Kosovich), which is believed to be a variation of the Polish KOSOWICZ.
Other individuals of note with the KOSOWICZ surname include Tadeusz Kosowicz (1911-1991), a Polish writer and poet known for his works exploring the themes of World War II and the human condition, and Janusz Kosowicz (1920-2006), a Polish actor and theater director who had a prolific career spanning over six decades.
Despite its Polish origins, the KOSOWICZ surname has also found its way into other cultures and regions over time, likely due to migration and intermarriage. However, the name's deep roots in Polish history and its connection to the natural landscape of meadows and grasslands remain a significant part of its etymological heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kosowicz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosowicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kosowicz 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 Kosowicz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kosowicz
Kosowicz 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,408 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,516 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,408 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,516 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 Kosowicz 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 | #143,149 | #148,665 | -3.9% |
| Count | 116 | 111 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kosowicz bearers went from 116 to 111 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,516 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #148,665.
FAQ
Kosowicz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kosowicz?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Kosowicz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Kosowicz?
Kosowicz ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Kosowicz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Kosowicz.
Has Kosowicz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kosowicz went from 116 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Kosowicz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosowicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kosowicz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kosowicz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Hispanic (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kosowicz (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 Kosowicz mean?
A surname originating from Poland, derived from a diminutive form of the word "kosa" meaning scythe or sickle. 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 Kosowicz (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 have the last name Kosowicz?
See how common the surname Kosowicz is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.