2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kotansky
A surname of Slavic origin, potentially derived from a geographical location or an occupational term.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Kotansky. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kotansky 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Kotansky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kotansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kotansky
The surname Kotansky is believed to have originated in the region of East Prussia, which is now part of modern-day Poland and Russia. It likely dates back to the 16th or 17th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Polish word "kotan," which means a small village or settlement.
One of the earliest known records of the name Kotansky appears in the church records of the village of Gołdap in East Prussia, dated around 1650. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived in or came from a small village or settlement in that region.
In the late 18th century, a man named Johann Kotansky (1752-1826) was a prominent figure in the Prussian army, serving as a general during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in the town of Königsberg, which was then part of East Prussia.
Another notable individual with the surname Kotansky was Carl Kotansky (1808-1888), a Prussian architect and urban planner who was involved in the development of several cities in East Prussia and the surrounding areas.
In the 19th century, the name Kotansky began to spread beyond East Prussia as people migrated to other parts of Europe and the world. For instance, a family named Kotansky settled in the city of Odessa in present-day Ukraine around 1850.
A more recent example is Karl Kotansky (1892-1963), an Austrian sculptor and artist known for his work in wood carving and metalworking. He was born in Vienna and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in that city.
Over time, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Kotanski, Kotanska, and Kotansky. However, the original Polish form of Kotansky appears to be the most prevalent throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kotansky
Among Census respondents with the surname Kotansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kotansky 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 Kotansky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 115
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kotansky
Kotansky 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+11 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,367 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-7 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 1,367 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 8,579 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 Kotansky 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 | #136,449 | #145,028 | -6.3% |
| Count | 123 | 116 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kotansky bearers went from 123 to 116 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 8,579 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,028.
FAQ
Kotansky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kotansky?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Kotansky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Kotansky?
Kotansky ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Kotansky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Kotansky.
Has Kotansky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kotansky went from 123 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Kotansky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kotansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (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 Kotansky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kotansky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Black (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 Kotansky (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 Kotansky mean?
A surname of Slavic origin, potentially derived from a geographical location or an occupational term. 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 Kotansky (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 have the surname Kotansky?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.