2000
#103,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Koston
A place name referring to someone from an area in East Yorkshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Koston. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koston 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Koston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koston, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koston
The surname Koston has its origins in Poland and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "kościół," which translates to "church." This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who lived near a church or worked in a religious setting.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Koston can be found in the Polish parish records from the village of Buczek, dated around 1498. The record mentions a man named Jan Koston, who was a local farmer.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Koston surname began to spread across various regions of Poland, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Marcin Koston, a renowned blacksmith who lived in the town of Krakow during the late 1600s. His craftsmanship was highly regarded, and he was responsible for creating intricate ironwork for several churches and noble estates in the area.
In the early 1800s, a family by the name of Koston settled in the village of Lutowiska, located in the Bieszczady Mountains of southeastern Poland. This region was known for its rich agricultural traditions, and the Koston family became prominent landowners and farmers. One of their descendants, Jan Koston (1845-1912), was a respected community leader and served as the village mayor for several years.
Another notable figure with the Koston surname was Stanisław Koston (1877-1946), a Polish artist and painter known for his vibrant landscapes and portraits. Born in the city of Lublin, Koston studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and went on to exhibit his works throughout Europe.
In the 20th century, the Koston name continued to be found in various parts of Poland, as well as among Polish immigrant communities in other countries. One such individual was Antoni Koston (1912-1998), a Polish-American engineer who made significant contributions to the aerospace industry during his career at NASA.
While the Koston surname is not among the most common in Poland, it has a rich history that spans centuries and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including farmers, artisans, community leaders, artists, and engineers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koston
Among Census respondents with the surname Koston, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Koston 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 Koston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 91
- Two or more races10.1% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koston
Koston 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
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
-12 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 13,636 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-40 bearers (-26.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 33,376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,193 | 161 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | -12 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 13,636 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -40 bearers (-26.8%) | Down 33,376 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 Koston 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 | #116,829 | #150,205 | -28.6% |
| Count | 149 | 109 | -26.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koston bearers went from 149 to 109 (-26.8% change). The surname moved down 33,376 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #150,205.
FAQ
Koston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koston?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Koston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Koston?
Koston ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Koston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Koston.
Has Koston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koston went from 149 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 40 (-26.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Koston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koston, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Koston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Two or More Races (10.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Koston (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 Koston mean?
A place name referring to someone from an area in East Yorkshire, England. 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 Koston (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 Koston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.