2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kostelec
A Czech or Slovak topographic surname referring to someone from a place named Kostelec.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Kostelec. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kostelec 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Kostelec in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostelec, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kostelec
The surname Kostelec originates from the Czech Republic and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the old Czech word "kostel," which translates to "church," and the suffix "-ec," indicating a place or location. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a church.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kostelec can be found in various historical documents from the region, including land registries and parish records. One notable mention is in the Liber Viridis, a 14th-century manuscript detailing the properties and privileges of the Cistercian monastery in Zbraslav, where the village of Kostelec is referenced.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kostelec was often associated with certain locations or villages bearing the same name. For example, the town of Kostelec nad Černými lesy, located in central Bohemia, was first mentioned in a document from 1352. Similarly, the village of Kostelec nad Labem, situated along the Elbe River, dates back to the 14th century as well.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Kostelec throughout history, one can mention Jan Kostelec (c. 1510-1572), a Czech Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the development of the Unitas Fratrum, also known as the Moravian Church.
Another prominent figure was Václav Kostelec (1551-1623), a Czech humanist scholar and writer who authored several works on history, geography, and astronomy. His most renowned work, "Chronikon Bohemicum," published in 1589, is considered a valuable source for the study of Czech history during the 16th century.
In the realm of art, Jakub Kostelec (1633-1680) was a notable Czech painter and engraver active in the Baroque period. He is best known for his religious paintings and etchings, many of which adorned churches and monasteries throughout Bohemia.
Moving into the 19th century, Karel Kostelec (1825-1891) was a Czech lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Bohemian Diet and the Imperial Council in Vienna, advocating for Czech national interests during the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Finally, František Kostelec (1887-1957) was a prominent Czech botanist and taxonomist who made significant contributions to the study of plant systematics and the flora of Central Europe. He authored numerous scientific publications and served as the director of the National Museum in Prague.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kostelec
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostelec, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kostelec 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 Kostelec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 95
- Two or more races8.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kostelec
Kostelec 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+4 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,938 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-25 bearers (-18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,592 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 4,938 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 22,592 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 Kostelec 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 | #129,047 | #151,639 | -17.5% |
| Count | 132 | 107 | -18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kostelec bearers went from 132 to 107 (-18.9% change). The surname moved down 22,592 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #151,639.
FAQ
Kostelec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kostelec?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Kostelec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Kostelec?
Kostelec ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Kostelec. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Kostelec.
Has Kostelec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kostelec went from 132 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Kostelec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostelec, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Kostelec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kostelec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (8.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Kostelec (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 Kostelec mean?
A Czech or Slovak topographic surname referring to someone from a place named Kostelec. 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 Kostelec (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 Kostelec?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.