2000
#77,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 230
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Kudela
A surname of Slavic origin, possibly meaning "curly-haired" or associated with the occupation of wool maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 267 Americans carry the last name Kudela. That puts it at #86,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,283,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kudela 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
267
1 in 1,283,724
Census rank
#86,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
233
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 233 bearers of the surname Kudela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 86153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudela, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kudela
The surname Kudela is of Czech origin, originating in the region of Moravia in the present-day Czech Republic. It is believed to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century, derived from the Old Czech word "kudela," meaning "a tuft of hair" or "a lock of hair." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a distinctive hairstyle or appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kudela surname can be found in the parish records of the town of Velká Bíteš, located in the Žďár nad Sázavou District of the Vysočina Region. These records date back to the late 17th century and mention several individuals with the surname Kudela residing in the area.
The name Kudela has also been present in other regions of the Czech lands, including Bohemia and Silesia. In the 19th century, there are records of Kudela families living in the towns of Příbor and Ostrava, both located in the historical region of Moravian Silesia.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Kudela throughout history is Jan Kudela (1876-1952), a Czech painter and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and illustrations of fairy tales and legends. He was born in the town of Příbor and gained recognition for his contributions to Czech art in the early 20th century.
Another prominent figure was Josef Kudela (1886-1960), a Czech politician and teacher who served as a member of the Czechoslovak parliament in the 1920s and 1930s. He was born in the town of Dolní Životice and was actively involved in the social and political movements of his time.
In the field of sports, Ondřej Kudela (born 1987) is a professional football player from the Czech Republic who has played for several clubs, including Slavia Prague and the Czech national team. He has represented his country in international competitions and is known for his defensive skills.
Václav Kudela (1923-2007) was a Czech actor and theater director who had a prolific career in the Czech theater scene. He was born in Prague and gained recognition for his performances in various plays and his contributions to the development of Czech theater in the latter half of the 20th century.
Additionally, the name Kudela has been associated with various place names and geographical locations within the Czech Republic. For example, the village of Kudělov in the Vysočina Region is believed to have derived its name from the surname Kudela, indicating a possible connection between the surname and a specific location.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kudela
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudela, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kudela 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 Kudela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 209
- Two or more races4.3% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kudela
Kudela 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
#79,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 238
+8 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 2,374 places
2020
#86,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 233
-5 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 6,307 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #77,472 | 230 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #79,846 | 238 | 0.08 | +8 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 2,374 places |
| 2020 | #86,153 | 233 | 0.08 | -5 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 6,307 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 Kudela 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 | #79,846 | #86,153 | -7.9% |
| Count | 238 | 233 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kudela bearers went from 238 to 233 (-2.1% change). The surname moved down 6,307 positions in the national ranking, going from #79,846 to #86,153.
FAQ
Kudela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kudela?
Name Census estimates that about 267 living Americans carry the surname Kudela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,283,724 residents.
How common is Kudela?
Kudela ranks #86,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 233 people with the surname Kudela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (267), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Kudela.
Has Kudela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kudela went from 238 recorded bearers to 233. That is a decrease of 5 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #79,846 to #86,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Kudela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudela, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Kudela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kudela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Kudela (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 Kudela mean?
A surname of Slavic origin, possibly meaning "curly-haired" or associated with the occupation of wool maker. 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 Kudela (0.08 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 surname Kudela?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.