2000
#61,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 306
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Kudelka
A surname derived from a Czech word meaning "curly" or "with curly hair".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 274 Americans carry the last name Kudelka. That puts it at #84,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,250,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kudelka 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
274
1 in 1,250,928
Census rank
#84,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
239
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 239 bearers of the surname Kudelka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 84529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudelka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kudelka
The surname Kudelka has its origins in the Czech Republic, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Czech word "kudel," which means "tow" or "coarse flax fiber" used for spinning. This suggests that the name may have been borne by someone involved in the textile trade or related professions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kudelka can be found in the Czech town of Jihlava, where Jan Kudelka was mentioned in a historical document dated 1578. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Kudelka name appeared in the Bohemian village of Chodov, where Jakub Kudelka was recorded in the parish register in 1642. This village, located near the border with Germany, was likely another early center for the name's distribution.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the Kudelka surname emerged. One such figure was František Kudelka (1751-1832), a renowned Czech painter and engraver known for his religious artworks. Another was Václav Kudelka (1804-1875), a Czech composer and music teacher who contributed to the development of Czech choral music.
In the 20th century, Jan Kudelka (1915-2000) gained recognition as a prominent Czech architect and urban planner. His designs, including the Central Dispaching Office for the Prague Metro, showcased his expertise in modernist architecture.
Another notable bearer of the name was Petr Kudelka (1940-2012), a celebrated Czech artist and sculptor. His abstract sculptures, often created from metal and glass, were exhibited internationally and can be found in numerous public spaces and museums.
Beyond the Czech Republic, the Kudelka name has also been present in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration patterns. For instance, in the early 20th century, Franciszek Kudelka (1880-1951) was a Polish painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portrayals of rural life.
While the surname Kudelka has its roots in the Czech lands, it has spread to various parts of the world over the centuries, carried by individuals and families who left their mark on various fields, from the arts and architecture to the sciences and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kudelka
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudelka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kudelka 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 Kudelka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 223
- Two or more races4.2% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kudelka
Kudelka 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
#67,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 290
-16 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 6,567 places
2020
#84,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 239
-51 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 16,586 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #61,376 | 306 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #67,943 | 290 | 0.10 | -16 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 6,567 places |
| 2020 | #84,529 | 239 | 0.08 | -51 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 16,586 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 Kudelka 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 | #67,943 | #84,529 | -24.4% |
| Count | 290 | 239 | -17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.08 | -20.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kudelka bearers went from 290 to 239 (-17.6% change). The surname moved down 16,586 positions in the national ranking, going from #67,943 to #84,529.
FAQ
Kudelka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kudelka?
Name Census estimates that about 274 living Americans carry the surname Kudelka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,250,928 residents.
How common is Kudelka?
Kudelka ranks #84,529 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 239 people with the surname Kudelka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (274), 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 Kudelka.
Has Kudelka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kudelka went from 290 recorded bearers to 239. That is a decrease of 51 (-17.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #67,943 to #84,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Kudelka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudelka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Kudelka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (223 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kudelka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Kudelka (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 Kudelka mean?
A surname derived from a Czech word meaning "curly" or "with curly hair". 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 Kudelka (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 last name Kudelka?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Kudelka is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.