Find out how popular the last name Kowitz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kowitz.
A surname of Ashkenazi Jewish origin possibly derived from a place name.
Kowitz, 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 Kowitz surname is from the 2010 census data.
Kowitz is the 39052nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Kowitz surname appeared 564 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 Kowitz.
We can also compare 2010 data for Kowitz 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 39052 | 36672 | 6.29% |
Count | 564 | 575 | -1.93% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.19 | 0.21 | -10.00% |
The surname Kowitz is believed to originate from the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, specifically from the areas around modern-day Germany and Poland. This name has its roots in the Slavic languages and is thought to be derived from the old Slavic word "kow", which means "blacksmith".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kowitz surname can be traced back to the 15th century in the historical records of the town of Krakow, Poland. In these records, a certain Johannes Kowitz was mentioned as a skilled blacksmith who lived and worked in the city during that time period.
In the 16th century, there are references to a family by the name of Kowitz residing in the town of Breslau, which is now known as Wroclaw in modern-day Poland. This family was involved in the metal-working trade, and their name was likely derived from their occupation as blacksmiths or metalworkers.
Moving into the 17th century, the Kowitz surname appears to have spread to other parts of Central Europe, including the regions of Silesia and Bohemia, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. There are records of individuals with the surname Kowitz living in these areas and working as blacksmiths, farriers, and metal artisans.
One notable figure from history was Johann Kowitz, a renowned blacksmith and metalworker who lived in the city of Prague during the late 17th century. His intricate metalwork and ornate iron gates have been preserved and can still be seen in some of the historical buildings in the city.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Kowitz, who was born in 1732 in the town of Görlitz, located in what is now eastern Germany. Friedrich was a skilled locksmith and inventor, and he is credited with developing an early form of the tumbler lock mechanism, which was a significant advancement in lock technology during that era.
In the 19th century, the Kowitz surname continued to be associated with metalworking and related trades. There are records of individuals with this surname working as blacksmiths, locksmiths, and metalworkers in various parts of Central Europe and beyond.
One such person was Karl Kowitz, born in 1828 in the town of Braunau am Inn, located in modern-day Austria. Karl was a highly skilled blacksmith and metalworker who specialized in creating ornate ironwork and decorative gates for churches and public buildings throughout the region.
Another notable figure from this time period was Elise Kowitz, born in 1856 in the city of Berlin, Germany. Elise was a pioneering female metalworker and sculptor who gained recognition for her intricate metalwork designs and her contributions to the Art Nouveau movement in Germany.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kowitz.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kowitz was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 95.74% | 540 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.06% | 6 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
Hispanic Origin | 1.77% | 10 |
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 Kowitz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 95.74% | 96.00% | -0.27% |
Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.06% | 1.57% | -38.78% |
Two or More Races | (S)% | 1.22% | (S)% |
Hispanic | 1.77% | 0.87% | 68.18% |
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 Kowitz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/kowitz-surname-popularity/">Kowitz last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Kowitz last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on September 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/kowitz-surname-popularity/.
"Kowitz last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/kowitz-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 September, 2025
Kowitz last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/kowitz-surname-popularity/.
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