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

Kozak, 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 Kozak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kozak in America

Kozak is the 4733rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kozak surname appeared 7,495 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Kozak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kozak 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 Kozak

The surname Kozak is of Ukrainian and Polish origin, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Ukrainian and Polish word "kozak," which means a free man or a member of the Cossack military communities.

The Cossacks were semi-nomadic people who lived in the steppes of present-day Ukraine and southern Russia. They were known for their horsemanship, military prowess, and fiercely independent spirit. The name Kozak was likely given to individuals who were associated with or members of these Cossack communities.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kozak can be found in the Polish noble registry known as the "Metryka Koronna" from the 16th century. It lists several individuals with the surname Kozak, indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.

In the 17th century, the Cossacks played a significant role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising, a major rebellion against Polish rule in Ukraine. One notable figure from this era was Bohdan Khmelnytsky (1595-1657), a Cossack leader who led the uprising and established the Cossack Hetmanate, a semi-autonomous state in Ukraine.

Another prominent individual with the surname Kozak was Semen Kozak (1652-1708), a Ukrainian military leader and diplomat who served as the secretary of the Zaporozhian Host, a Cossack military organization.

In the 19th century, the name Kozak was associated with the Kuban Cossacks, a Cossack community that settled in the Kuban region of Russia. One famous Kuban Cossack was Kondrat Kozak (1810-1879), a military leader and hero of the Caucasian War.

Over time, the surname Kozak spread beyond its initial Ukrainian and Polish roots, and individuals with this name can be found in various parts of Europe and the Americas, likely due to migration and diaspora communities.

Other notable individuals with the surname Kozak include Jerzy Kozak (1957-2020), a Polish diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland from 2005 to 2006, and Sergei Kozak (born 1959), a Russian politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kozak

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

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

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

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