2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Kostelansky
A surname derived from a place name related to the Czech words "kostel" (church) and "novy" (new).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Kostelansky. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kostelansky 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Kostelansky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostelansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kostelansky
The surname Kostelansky is of Slavic origin, tracing its roots back to regions of present-day Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland in the medieval period. It is derived from the Slavic word "kostelan" or "kostolany," meaning "church land" or "church village." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an individual or family associated with church property or residing in a village near a church.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kostelansky can be found in the Czech land records from the 14th century, where it appears as "Kostelanski." This spelling variation highlights the regional differences in pronunciation and transcription of the name over time.
In the 16th century, the name Kostelansky is mentioned in Polish historical documents, suggesting its spread across various Slavic regions. A notable bearer of this surname was Jan Kostelansky (1501-1575), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian who served as a canon in the city of Kraków.
The name Kostelansky is also found in Slovak records from the 17th century, often associated with villages or towns that had "Kostolany" in their names, reflecting the original meaning of the surname.
In the late 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the Kostelansky surname was Jozef Kostelansky (1752-1829), a Slovak Catholic priest and writer who contributed to the preservation of Slovak language and literature.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Kostelansky gained recognition through the works of renowned Slovak writer and poet Janko Král' Kostelansky (1822-1876), whose literary contributions helped shape the Slovak national revival movement.
Another notable bearer of this surname was Ján Kostelansky (1876-1944), a Slovak politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Council and later as a representative in the Czechoslovak Parliament.
It is worth noting that while the surname Kostelansky originated in the Slavic regions, it has spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kostelansky
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostelansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kostelansky 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 Kostelansky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kostelansky
Kostelansky 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,122 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 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,122 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 Kostelansky 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 | #153,590 | 3.8% |
| Count | 101 | 104 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kostelansky bearers went from 101 to 104 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Kostelansky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kostelansky?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Kostelansky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Kostelansky?
Kostelansky ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Kostelansky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Kostelansky.
Has Kostelansky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kostelansky went from 101 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Kostelansky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostelansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Kostelansky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kostelansky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Kostelansky (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 Kostelansky mean?
A surname derived from a place name related to the Czech words "kostel" (church) and "novy" (new). 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 Kostelansky (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 share the surname Kostelansky?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.