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

Kowal, 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 Kowal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kowal in America

Kowal is the 7658th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kowal surname appeared 4,337 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kowal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kowal 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 Kowal

The surname "KOWAL" is of Polish origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "kowal," which means "blacksmith" or "metalworker." This suggests that the name was likely originally an occupational surname given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers.

In its earliest forms, the name was sometimes spelled "Kowałł" or "Kowalski," with the latter being a more common variant that means "son of the blacksmith." These early spellings can be found in various historical documents and records from the medieval period in Poland.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name "KOWAL" appears in a 14th-century manuscript from the city of Krakow, which mentions a blacksmith named Jan Kowal. This suggests that the name was already well-established in Polish society by that time.

Another notable historical figure with the surname "KOWAL" was Marcin Kowal, a prominent Polish sculptor and architect who lived in the 16th century. He was responsible for designing and constructing several churches and other buildings in the city of Gdańsk.

In the 17th century, a Polish nobleman named Stanisław Kowal was recorded as owning a large estate in the region of Wielkopolska. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its original occupational roots and was also used by members of the Polish nobility.

During the 18th century, a Polish military officer named Józef Kowal fought in the Kościuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire. He was born in 1765 and died in 1794 during the Battle of Racławice.

Another notable individual with the surname "KOWAL" was Franciszek Kowal, a Polish painter and artist who lived in the 19th century. He was born in 1808 and is known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from various regions of Poland.

While the surname "KOWAL" is most commonly associated with Poland, it has also been recorded in other Slavic countries, such as Ukraine and Belarus, where it likely has similar origins and meanings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kowal

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

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

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

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