2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kudwa
A Polish surname of unclear origin, potentially derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kudwa. 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 Kudwa 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 Kudwa 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 Kudwa, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kudwa
The surname KUDWA originates from the Polish language and is believed to have its roots in the Masovian region of central Poland, dating back to the 15th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Polish word "kud," which means "curl" or "ringlet," possibly referring to a distinct physical characteristic of an ancestor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KUDWA surname can be found in the Liber Beneficiorum, a 15th-century manuscript containing records of ecclesiastical benefices in the Archdiocese of Gniezno, Poland. This document mentions a certain Jacobus Kudwa, who held a church position in the village of Gąbin around 1460.
In the 16th century, the KUDWA name appeared in various historical records from the Masovian region, such as court documents and land registries. One notable figure was Jan KUDWA (c. 1520-1589), a wealthy landowner and local magistrate in the town of Przasnysz.
The KUDWA surname has also been associated with several place names in the Masovian region, such as the village of Kudwice, which likely derived its name from an early settler with the KUDWA surname.
During the 17th century, the KUDWA name spread to other parts of Poland, particularly the Silesian region. One significant individual from this era was Franciszek KUDWA (1632-1698), a renowned Catholic theologian and rector of the Jesuit College in Wrocław.
Another noteworthy figure was Michał KUDWA (1765-1831), a Polish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a brigadier general in the Polish Army during the November Uprising against Russian rule.
In the 19th century, the KUDWA surname gained prominence in the field of science and academia. Stanisław KUDWA (1821-1892) was a distinguished mathematician and professor at the University of Warsaw, while Józef KUDWA (1848-1917) was a respected geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossils in the Carpathian Mountains.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kudwa
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudwa, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kudwa 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 Kudwa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kudwa
Kudwa appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,578 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 Kudwa 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 | #151,532 | #147,954 | 2.4% |
| Count | 108 | 112 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kudwa bearers went from 108 to 112 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,578 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kudwa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kudwa?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kudwa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kudwa?
Kudwa 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 Kudwa. 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 Kudwa.
Has Kudwa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kudwa went from 108 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kudwa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kudwa, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Kudwa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kudwa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Kudwa (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 Kudwa mean?
A Polish surname of unclear origin, potentially derived from a place name. 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 Kudwa (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 Americans have the surname Kudwa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.