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

Kotowski, 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 Kotowski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kotowski in America

Kotowski is the 20183rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kotowski surname appeared 1,321 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 Kotowski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kotowski 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 Kotowski

The surname Kotowski is of Polish origin, deriving from the word "kot" meaning "cat" in Polish. It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, given to individuals who were involved in the breeding or care of cats, or as a nickname for someone with a cat-like demeanor.

Kotowski is a relatively common surname in Poland, particularly in the regions of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Greater Poland Voivodeship, and Masovian Voivodeship. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared in various parish records and historical documents.

One notable early reference to the name Kotowski can be found in the "Księga metrykalna parafii Lutol" (Metric Book of the Parish of Lutol), dated around 1580. This document mentions a certain Jan Kotowski, who was a landowner in the village of Lutol.

During the 17th century, the Kotowski surname gained prominence in the Polish nobility. In 1634, Stanisław Kotowski was granted a coat of arms by King Władysław IV, recognizing his family's noble status. This coat of arms featured a white cat on a red field, a symbolic reference to the name's meaning.

In the 18th century, a renowned Polish poet and playwright named Franciszek Karpiński (1741-1825) was born into the Kotowski family. His works, including the popular patriotic song "Bożę, coś Polskę" (God, Who Protected Poland), contributed significantly to the development of Polish literature.

Another notable figure with the Kotowski surname was Kazimierz Kotowski (1895-1957), a Polish military officer and diplomat. He served as the Polish Ambassador to the United States from 1939 to 1945, playing a crucial role in maintaining diplomatic relations during World War II.

In more recent times, Zbigniew Kotowski (1925-2009) was a prominent Polish chess player and author. He achieved the title of International Master and wrote several influential books on chess strategy and tactics.

Throughout its history, the Kotowski surname has been associated with various locations and place names in Poland. For example, the village of Kotowizna in the Masovian Voivodeship is believed to have been named after the Kotowski family who once owned land in that area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kotowski

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

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 Kotowski 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 Kotowski 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 Kotowski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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