2000
#7,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,290
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Kowal
An occupational surname referring to a blacksmith or metalworker in Polish, Ukrainian, or Jewish (Ashkenazic) communities.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,788 Americans carry the last name Kowal. That puts it at #7,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kowal 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kowal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,586
Census rank
#7,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,175 bearers of the surname Kowal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kowal, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 These early spellings can be found in various historical documents and records from the medieval period in Poland.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kowal
Among Census respondents with the surname Kowal, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kowal 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 Kowal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 3,891
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 142
- Two or more races2.3% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kowal
Kowal 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
#7,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,337
+47 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 485 places
2020
#7,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,175
-162 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,173 | 4,290 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,658 | 4,337 | 1.47 | +47 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 485 places |
| 2020 | #7,641 | 4,175 | 1.40 | -162 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 17 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 Kowal 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 | #7,658 | #7,641 | 0.2% |
| Count | 4,337 | 4,175 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.40 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kowal bearers went from 4,337 to 4,175 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,658 to #7,641.
FAQ
Kowal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kowal?
Name Census estimates that about 4,788 living Americans carry the surname Kowal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,586 residents.
How common is Kowal?
Kowal ranks #7,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,175 people with the surname Kowal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,788), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kowal.
Has Kowal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kowal went from 4,337 recorded bearers to 4,175. That is a decrease of 162 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,658 to #7,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Kowal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kowal, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kowal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (3,891 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kowal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kowal (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 Kowal mean?
An occupational surname referring to a blacksmith or metalworker in Polish, Ukrainian, or Jewish (Ashkenazic) communities. 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 Kowal (1.40 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 share the surname Kowal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.