2000
#83,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Kujak
A Polish surname possibly derived from a geographical name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 284 Americans carry the last name Kujak. That puts it at #82,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,206,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kujak 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
284
1 in 1,206,881
Census rank
#82,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
248
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 248 bearers of the surname Kujak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 82069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kujak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%) and Hispanic (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kujak
The surname Kujak is believed to have originated in Poland, with its roots traced back to the late medieval period, around the 15th or 16th century. It is likely derived from the Polish word "kujak," which referred to a type of short jacket or coat worn by peasants and commoners during that era.
In its early days, the name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Silesia and Greater Poland, areas with strong agricultural traditions where many families would have adopted surnames based on occupations, clothing, or local dialects. Similar spellings, such as Kujawa and Kujawski, have also been recorded, suggesting connections to the historical region of Kuyavia (Polish: Kujawy) in central Poland.
One of the earliest known references to the Kujak surname can be found in the records of the Tarnów Voivodeship, a historical administrative region in southeastern Poland, dating back to the 16th century. These records mention a certain Jan Kujak, a landowner and member of the local gentry.
Another notable early bearer of the Kujak name was Stanisław Kujak (c. 1595-1672), a Polish nobleman and military commander who served under King Władysław IV Vasa during the Smolensk War against Russia in the 1630s. His exploits were documented in contemporaneous chronicles and histories.
In the 18th century, the Kujak surname gained prominence in the region of Galicia, then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Franciszek Kujak (1720-1789), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lviv (now in Ukraine), was a prominent figure in the local community and a benefactor of several churches and monasteries.
As the Kujak name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through immigration. One notable example is Józef Kujak (1861-1932), a Polish-American inventor and engineer who patented several innovative designs for steam engines and boilers while working in the United States.
Another Kujak of note was Maria Kujak (1891-1976), a Polish-born activist and labor organizer who worked tirelessly to improve working conditions for immigrant women in the textile mills of Massachusetts in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kujak
Among Census respondents with the surname Kujak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%) and Hispanic (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kujak 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 Kujak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 243
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kujak
Kujak 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
#82,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 230
+22 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 1,921 places
2020
#82,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
+18 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,965 | 208 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #82,044 | 230 | 0.08 | +22 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 1,921 places |
| 2020 | #82,069 | 248 | 0.08 | +18 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 25 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 Kujak 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 | #82,044 | #82,069 | -0.0% |
| Count | 230 | 248 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kujak bearers went from 230 to 248 (+7.8% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #82,044 to #82,069.
FAQ
Kujak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kujak?
Name Census estimates that about 284 living Americans carry the surname Kujak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,206,881 residents.
How common is Kujak?
Kujak ranks #82,069 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 248 people with the surname Kujak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (284), 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 Kujak.
Has Kujak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kujak went from 230 recorded bearers to 248. That is an increase of 18 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #82,044 to #82,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Kujak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kujak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%) and Hispanic (0.4%). 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 Kujak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kujak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.2%), Hispanic (0.4%). 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 Kujak (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 Kujak mean?
A Polish surname possibly derived from a geographical name or occupation. 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 Kujak (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 Kujak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.