Find out how popular the last name Kotajärvi is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kotajärvi.

Kotajärvi, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kotajärvi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kotajärvi in America

Kotajärvi is the 145220th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kotajärvi surname appeared 114 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kotajärvi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kotajärvi to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kotajärvi

The surname Kotajarvi originated in Finland during the 16th century. It is derived from the Finnish words "kota," meaning a small hut or cabin, and "jarvi," meaning a lake. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a lake where a small cabin or hut was located.

Kotajarvi was a common surname in the northern regions of Finland, particularly in the areas around the city of Oulu and the Lapland region. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in parish records and census documents from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Kotajarvi was Matti Kotajarvi, a farmer who lived in the village of Pudasjarvi, near Oulu, in the late 16th century. Records show that he owned a small farmstead near a lake, which likely contributed to the origin of his surname.

In the 18th century, the name Kotajarvi appeared in various historical documents related to the region around Oulu. For example, Jaakko Kotajarvi was a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Oulu in the mid-1700s.

During the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Kotajarvi achieved notable positions in Finnish society. One such person was Heikki Kotajarvi (1823-1895), a respected Lutheran pastor who served in several parishes in northern Finland.

Another notable bearer of the name was Liisa Kotajarvi (1875-1942), an early Finnish women's rights activist and author. She was a pioneer in promoting gender equality and advocating for women's education and suffrage in Finland.

In the early 20th century, Antti Kotajarvi (1898-1976) was a prominent Finnish politician and member of the Finnish Parliament. He was known for his work in promoting economic development and infrastructure in rural areas of Finland.

Throughout its history, the surname Kotajarvi has remained closely associated with the northern regions of Finland and the Finnish Lapland area. While the name has spread to other parts of Finland and abroad, its origins are firmly rooted in the cultural and geographical landscape of the country's northern regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kotajärvi

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kotajärvi.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kotajärvi was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kotajärvi has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kotajärvi was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kotajärvi, please contact us.

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