2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koveleski
A surname derived from a place name or topographic feature from Eastern Europe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Koveleski. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koveleski 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Koveleski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koveleski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koveleski
The surname Koveleski has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in areas that are now part of Poland and Ukraine. It likely emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century, derived from the Slavic word "kovel," meaning "blacksmith" or "metalworker."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Koveleski can be found in a registry of land ownership from the region of Volhynia, in modern-day Ukraine, dated to the early 17th century. This document lists a family by the name Koveleski as landowners in the village of Dubno.
In the 18th century, the Koveleski name appeared in church records from the town of Lublin, in what is now eastern Poland. These records document the birth and marriage of several individuals with the Koveleski surname, indicating that the name had become established in the region by that time.
A notable individual bearing the Koveleski name was Jan Koveleski (1734-1801), a Polish military officer who served in the Kościuszko Uprising against Russian imperial rule. He was captured and imprisoned for his role in the rebellion but later pardoned and allowed to retire.
Another historical figure with the Koveleski surname was Maria Koveleski (1812-1892), a Ukrainian writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and short stories in her native language. Her works often explored themes of national identity and the struggles of Ukrainian peasants under foreign rule.
In the late 19th century, a family by the name of Koveleski emigrated from the Galicia region of Austria-Hungary (now part of Ukraine) to the United States. This family settled in the coal mining regions of Pennsylvania, where several members worked as miners and metalworkers, likely continuing the occupational tradition associated with their surname.
Another notable individual was Stepan Koveleski (1874-1946), a Ukrainian politician and activist who advocated for Ukrainian independence from the Russian Empire. He was elected to the Russian State Duma in 1912 and later served in the government of the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic during the revolutionary period of 1917-1921.
While the Koveleski surname is relatively uncommon, it has been found in historical records spanning several centuries and across various regions of Eastern Europe, reflecting the migration and cultural influences that have shaped its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koveleski
Among Census respondents with the surname Koveleski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Koveleski 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 Koveleski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koveleski
Koveleski 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,009 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,006 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 20,009 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,006 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 Koveleski 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 | #150,452 | #149,446 | 0.7% |
| Count | 109 | 110 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koveleski bearers went from 109 to 110 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,006 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #149,446.
FAQ
Koveleski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koveleski?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Koveleski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Koveleski?
Koveleski ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Koveleski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Koveleski.
Has Koveleski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koveleski went from 109 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Koveleski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koveleski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Koveleski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koveleski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (7.3%), Black (1.8%). 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 Koveleski (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 Koveleski mean?
A surname derived from a place name or topographic feature from Eastern Europe. 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 Koveleski (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 common is the surname Koveleski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Koveleski at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.