2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kucenski
From a Polish surname referring to a person from the village of Kucna.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Kucenski. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kucenski 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Kucenski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kucenski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kucenski
The surname Kucenski originated in Poland, with roots dating back to the 17th century. It is derived from the Polish word "kuc," which means a small horse or pony. The name likely referred to someone who worked with or bred horses, or perhaps someone short in stature, likening them to a pony.
Kucenski is a variation of the more common Polish surname Kuczynski, which shares the same root word. The suffix "-ski" is a common Polish patronymic, indicating the name belonged to the family or descendants of the original bearer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kucenski name can be found in the parish records of the village of Krosno, located in southern Poland, dating back to the late 1600s. The records mention a Jan Kucenski, who was a farmer and landowner in the area.
In the 19th century, a Franciszek Kucenski was a prominent figure in the Polish resistance movement against the Russian Empire's occupation of Poland. He was born in 1820 and was known for his involvement in the January Uprising of 1863-1864.
Another notable bearer of the Kucenski name was Józef Kucenski, a Polish painter born in 1867 in the town of Brzesko. He was renowned for his landscapes and portraits, and his works can be found in several museums across Poland.
In the early 20th century, a Stanisław Kucenski was a respected academic and historian at the University of Kraków. He was born in 1885 and authored several books on the history of Poland and its cultural heritage.
During the Second World War, a Tadeusz Kucenski was a member of the Polish resistance movement, fighting against the Nazi occupation. He was born in 1910 and was posthumously awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration, for his bravery and sacrifice.
The Kucenski name has also been found in historical records from other parts of Eastern Europe, suggesting that some bearers of the name may have migrated from Poland to neighboring countries over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kucenski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kucenski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kucenski 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 Kucenski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kucenski
Kucenski 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,548 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-10 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,548 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 6,287 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 Kucenski 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 | #149,395 | #155,682 | -4.2% |
| Count | 110 | 100 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kucenski bearers went from 110 to 100 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 6,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #155,682.
FAQ
Kucenski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kucenski?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Kucenski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Kucenski?
Kucenski ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Kucenski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kucenski.
Has Kucenski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kucenski went from 110 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Kucenski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kucenski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Kucenski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kucenski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Kucenski (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 Kucenski mean?
From a Polish surname referring to a person from the village of Kucna. 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 Kucenski (0.03 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 Kucenski?
You can see how many people have the last name Kucenski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.