2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kotajarvi
A Finnish locational surname referring to someone from a place called Kotajärvi.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Kotajarvi. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kotajarvi 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Kotajarvi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kotajarvi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kotajarvi
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In the 18th century, the name Kotajarvi appeared in various historical documents related to the region around Oulu.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kotajarvi
Among Census respondents with the surname Kotajarvi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kotajarvi 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 Kotajarvi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 96
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kotajarvi
Kotajarvi 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,401 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 2,401 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,370 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 Kotajarvi 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 | #145,220 | #153,590 | -5.8% |
| Count | 114 | 104 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kotajarvi bearers went from 114 to 104 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 8,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #153,590.
FAQ
Kotajarvi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kotajarvi?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Kotajarvi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Kotajarvi?
Kotajarvi ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Kotajarvi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kotajarvi.
Has Kotajarvi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kotajarvi went from 114 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Kotajarvi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kotajarvi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Kotajarvi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kotajarvi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Kotajarvi (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 Kotajarvi mean?
A Finnish locational surname referring to someone from a place called Kotajärvi. 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 Kotajarvi (0.03 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 Kotajarvi?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Kotajarvi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.