2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kostial
A surname of Polish origin meaning "bony" or "skeletal".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Kostial. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kostial 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Kostial in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostial, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kostial
The surname KOSTIAL has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the Slavic regions of modern-day Poland, Croatia, and the Czech Republic. It is believed to have emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century, derived from the Proto-Slavic word "kost," which translates to "bone" in English. This linguistic root suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals involved in professions related to bones, such as butchers, tanners, or bone carvers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KOSTIAL surname can be found in a 16th-century Polish census record from the town of Krakow, where a family bearing this name was listed among the local tradespeople. Historical documents from this period also indicate that variations of the name, such as Kostyał and Kostyal, were prevalent in the nearby regions of Silesia and Bohemia.
In the 17th century, the KOSTIAL surname began to appear in various church records and tax registers across Eastern Europe. Notably, a prominent figure named Jan KOSTIAL (1621-1690) was a respected merchant and landowner in the city of Poznan, Poland. His descendants continued to play an influential role in the region's economic and social affairs throughout the following centuries.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the KOSTIAL surname was Tomáš KOSTIAL (1782-1856), a Czech scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Slavic languages. His works on grammar and etymology were widely regarded in academic circles of the time.
During the 19th century, the KOSTIAL name spread across Europe as families migrated to different parts of the continent in search of new opportunities. Some notable bearers of the name from this period include:
1. Mikolaj KOSTIAL (1801-1875), a Polish painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
2. Katarina KOSTIAL (1825-1898), a Croatian writer and activist who advocated for women's rights and education.
3. Ivan KOSTIAL (1845-1912), a renowned Czech architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Prague.
4. Grzegorz KOSTIAL (1871-1938), a Polish military officer who served in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I.
5. Marija KOSTIAL (1887-1967), a Serbian opera singer celebrated for her performances across Europe in the early 20th century.
While the KOSTIAL surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, it remains most prevalent in the regions where it originated, preserving its Slavic heritage and linguistic connections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kostial
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostial, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kostial 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 Kostial surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kostial
Kostial 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 7,274 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 Kostial 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 | #153,769 | #146,495 | 4.7% |
| Count | 106 | 114 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kostial bearers went from 106 to 114 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 7,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #146,495.
FAQ
Kostial surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kostial?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Kostial. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Kostial?
Kostial ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Kostial. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Kostial.
Has Kostial become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kostial went from 106 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Kostial?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kostial, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Kostial in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kostial appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Kostial (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 Kostial mean?
A surname of Polish origin meaning "bony" or "skeletal". 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 Kostial (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 are called Kostial?
Find out how many people have the last name Kostial on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.