2000
#7,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,006
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Krupa
A Polish and Ukrainian surname derived from the word "krupa," meaning hulled grain or groats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,382 Americans carry the last name Krupa. That puts it at #8,301 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,219 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krupa 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 Krupa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,219
Census rank
#8,301
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,821 bearers of the surname Krupa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8301st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krupa, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krupa
The surname Krupa originated in Poland and is derived from the Polish word "krupa", which means "groats" or "grits". This name likely originated as an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked with groats or grits, perhaps a miller or a merchant dealing in these grains.
The earliest records of the Krupa surname date back to the 15th century in the region of Lesser Poland (Małopolska), which was part of the Kingdom of Poland at the time. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Jan Krupa, a landowner mentioned in a document from the town of Brzesko in 1467.
In the late 16th century, the Krupa surname appeared in the historic Polish town of Kazimierz Dolny, where a family of that name owned a mill and a brewery. This suggests that the family's occupation may have been connected to the production or trade of grains, fitting with the surname's meaning.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Krupa surname spread to other regions of Poland, such as Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) and Silesia. In 1683, a Franciscan monk named Hieronim Krupa from the town of Środa Wielkopolska published a book titled "Kazania na niedziele całego roku" (Sermons for Sundays throughout the Year), which became a notable work of religious literature.
Notable individuals with the Krupa surname include:
1. Gene Krupa (1909-1973), an American drummer and composer of Polish descent, known as the "King of the Drums" and a key figure in the development of jazz drumming.
2. Józef Krupa (1835-1905), a Polish painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.
3. Stanislav Krupa (1924-2004), a Slovak composer and music educator, known for his works for wind ensembles and orchestras.
4. Michał Krupa (born 1991), a Polish professional volleyball player and a member of the Polish national team.
5. Josip Krupa (1924-2005), a Croatian footballer who played as a defender and represented Yugoslavia in the 1950 FIFA World Cup.
While the Krupa surname can be found in various countries today, its origins and early history are firmly rooted in Poland, where it emerged as an occupational name related to the trade or production of grains and groats.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krupa
Among Census respondents with the surname Krupa, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Krupa 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 Krupa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 3,566
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 116
- Two or more races2.3% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 35
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krupa
Krupa 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
#8,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,073
+67 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 481 places
2020
#8,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,821
-252 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,657 | 4,006 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,138 | 4,073 | 1.38 | +67 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 481 places |
| 2020 | #8,301 | 3,821 | 1.28 | -252 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 163 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 Krupa 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 | #8,138 | #8,301 | -2.0% |
| Count | 4,073 | 3,821 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.28 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krupa bearers went from 4,073 to 3,821 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 163 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,138 to #8,301.
FAQ
Krupa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krupa?
Name Census estimates that about 4,382 living Americans carry the surname Krupa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,219 residents.
How common is Krupa?
Krupa ranks #8,301 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 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 3,821 people with the surname Krupa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,382), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 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 Krupa.
Has Krupa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krupa went from 4,073 recorded bearers to 3,821. That is a decrease of 252 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,138 to #8,301.
What does the Census say about the background of Krupa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krupa, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) 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 Krupa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (3,566 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krupa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.0%), 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 Krupa (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 Krupa mean?
A Polish and Ukrainian surname derived from the word "krupa," meaning hulled grain or groats. 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 Krupa (1.28 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 have the last name Krupa?
Find out how many people have the surname Krupa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.