2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kostecky
A Czech surname derived from the word "kostka" meaning cube or dice.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Kostecky. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kostecky 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Kostecky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostecky, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kostecky
The surname Kostecky has its origins in the Czech Republic, with the earliest known records dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Czech word "kost," meaning "bone," which suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation or physical characteristic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kostecky appears in the Liber Vetustissimus, a medieval manuscript from the city of Brno, which lists a certain Jakub Kostecky as a local landowner in the year 1462. This document provides valuable insight into the early history of the name and its regional ties to Moravia.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records from the regions of Bohemia and Silesia, indicating that it had spread beyond its initial Moravian roots. One notable example is Jan Kostecky, a prominent merchant from Prague who is mentioned in a trade agreement with the city of Nuremberg in 1578.
The Kostecky name is also found in several place names throughout the Czech lands, such as the village of Kostečná in the Olomouc region, which may have been named after an early settler with the surname.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kostecky family produced several notable figures, including Václav Kostecky (1615-1688), a Baroque composer and organist who served at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna. Another significant individual was Jakub Kostecky (1720-1784), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Prague.
The 19th century saw the Kostecky name spread further afield, with emigrants from the Czech lands bringing the name to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Tomáš Kostecky (1845-1923), a Czech-American writer and journalist who founded several publications in the United States aimed at the Czech immigrant community.
Throughout its history, the Kostecky surname has been associated with a diverse range of occupations and accomplishments, from landowners and merchants to artists, musicians, and intellectuals. While its origins may be rooted in a humble reference to bones, the name has taken on a rich tapestry of meanings and associations over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kostecky
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostecky, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kostecky 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 Kostecky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 97
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kostecky
Kostecky 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+5 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,267 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-13 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 4,267 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 12,631 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 Kostecky 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 | #138,304 | #150,935 | -9.1% |
| Count | 121 | 108 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kostecky bearers went from 121 to 108 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 12,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #150,935.
FAQ
Kostecky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kostecky?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Kostecky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Kostecky?
Kostecky ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Kostecky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Kostecky.
Has Kostecky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kostecky went from 121 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Kostecky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostecky, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Kostecky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kostecky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Kostecky (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 Kostecky mean?
A Czech surname derived from the word "kostka" meaning cube or dice. 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 Kostecky (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 common is the surname Kostecky?
Find out how many people have the surname Kostecky on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.