2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kozo
An unusual surname of Japanese origin, likely derived from the word for "child" or "boy".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kozo. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kozo 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Kozo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kozo, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kozo
The surname Kozo has its origins in Poland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "koza," which means "goat," suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked with or kept goats.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kozo surname can be found in the Akta Grodzkie records from the town of Kraków in 1534. This document mentions a certain "Jan Kozo," who was likely a resident or landowner in the area.
During the 17th century, the Kozo name appeared in various Polish parish records and tax registers, indicating its presence in various regions of the country. For example, the Krakow Diocese records from 1634 list a "Marcin Kozo" as a landowner in the village of Zabierzów.
In the 18th century, the Kozo surname gained some prominence with the birth of Józef Kozo (1734-1802), a Polish nobleman and landowner from the Łódź region. He was known for his involvement in local politics and his support for the Polish national movement during the partitions of Poland.
Another notable figure with the Kozo surname was Franciszek Kozo (1789-1861), a Polish priest and writer who authored several religious works and served as a parish priest in the town of Kalisz. His book, "Kazania na niedziele i święta," published in 1842, was widely read in Polish communities.
In the 19th century, the Kozo name can be found in various Polish census records and emigration lists, as many Polish families sought new opportunities abroad. One example is Andrzej Kozo (1832-1912), who emigrated to the United States in the late 1800s and settled in Chicago, where he worked as a carpenter.
As Polish immigrants settled in various parts of the world, the Kozo surname spread to other countries, although it remains predominantly associated with its Polish heritage. Notable individuals with this surname in more recent times include Stanisław Kozo (1911-1996), a Polish-Canadian artist and sculptor, and Jerzy Kozo (born 1942), a Polish chess player and author.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kozo
Among Census respondents with the surname Kozo, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kozo 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 Kozo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kozo
Kozo 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-12 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,581 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 19,581 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,734 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 Kozo 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 | #145,220 | #147,954 | -1.9% |
| Count | 114 | 112 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kozo bearers went from 114 to 112 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kozo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kozo?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kozo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kozo?
Kozo ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Kozo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Kozo.
Has Kozo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kozo went from 114 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kozo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kozo, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Kozo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kozo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Kozo (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 Kozo mean?
An unusual surname of Japanese origin, likely derived from the word for "child" or "boy". 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 Kozo (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 many people are called Kozo?
Find out how many people have the surname Kozo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.