2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kostelic
Croatian surname meaning "a small building or farm".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Kostelic. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kostelic 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Kostelic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostelic, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kostelic
The surname Kostelic is of Croatian origin, with its roots tracing back to the early medieval period in the Balkans. It is believed to have derived from the Slavic word "kost," which means "bone," and was likely initially a descriptive nickname given to someone with a prominent or distinctive bone structure.
The earliest known records of the Kostelic surname date back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various forms such as Kostelich, Kostelić, and Kostelyč in ancient Croatian manuscripts and legal documents. These early spellings reflect the regional variations and linguistic shifts that occurred over time.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Kostelic name can be found in the Poljica Statute, a legal code from the Republic of Poljica, a semi-autonomous region in present-day Croatia. In this document, dated to the late 14th century, a certain Radovan Kostelić is mentioned as a witness to a land dispute.
During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the Kostelic surname gained prominence among the Croatian nobility and intellectual circles. Notably, Ivan Kostelic (1567-1641) was a renowned Renaissance humanist, philosopher, and theologian who served as the Bishop of Zagreb and played a crucial role in promoting education and cultural development in Croatia.
Another notable bearer of the Kostelic name was Andrija Kostelic (1785-1858), a Croatian linguist and lexicographer who made significant contributions to the standardization of the Croatian language. His work, the "Lexicon of the Croatian Language," published in 1835, is considered a landmark in the development of modern Croatian lexicography.
In more recent history, the Kostelic surname gained international recognition through the achievements of Janica Kostelic (born 1982), a former Croatian alpine ski racer who won four Olympic gold medals and numerous World Cup titles. Her brother, Ivica Kostelic (born 1979), is also a highly successful alpine ski racer, with four Olympic silver medals and numerous World Cup victories to his name.
Other notable individuals with the Kostelic surname include Ante Kostelic (1899-1976), a Croatian sculptor known for his monumental works, and Stjepan Kostelic (born 1957), a former Croatian alpine ski racer and the father of Janica and Ivica Kostelic, who played a pivotal role in their athletic development.
While the Kostelic surname has its roots in Croatia, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its historical significance and association with notable figures in Croatian history and culture remain deeply ingrained in its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kostelic
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostelic, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kostelic 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 Kostelic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kostelic
Kostelic 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-16 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,052 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 24,052 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,887 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 Kostelic 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 | #150,452 | #152,339 | -1.3% |
| Count | 109 | 106 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kostelic bearers went from 109 to 106 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,887 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #152,339.
FAQ
Kostelic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kostelic?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Kostelic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Kostelic?
Kostelic ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Kostelic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Kostelic.
Has Kostelic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kostelic went from 109 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Kostelic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostelic, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and Hispanic (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 Kostelic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kostelic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%), Hispanic (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 Kostelic (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 Kostelic mean?
Croatian surname meaning "a small building or farm". 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 Kostelic (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 Kostelic?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.