Find out how popular the last name Kukaj is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kukaj.

Kukaj, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kukaj surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kukaj in America

Kukaj is the 62714th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kukaj surname appeared 319 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kukaj.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kukaj to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kukaj

The surname KUKAJ is believed to have originated in the Balkan region, specifically in Albania and Kosovo. It is thought to have derived from the Albanian word "kukaj," which means "to bend" or "to curve." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a curved or bent area, or perhaps someone who had a curved or bent physical feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KUKAJ dates back to the 16th century, where it appears in a manuscript listing Albanian families residing in the village of Kukës, located in northern Albania. This village may have played a role in the formation of the surname, as it was common for surnames to originate from place names during that time period.

In the 17th century, there are records of a prominent KUKAJ family residing in the city of Prizren, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. This family is said to have held notable positions within the local government and community.

A famous bearer of the KUKAJ surname was Mehmet Kukaj, a 19th-century Albanian scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study and preservation of the Albanian language. He was born in 1825 in the city of Shkodër and died in 1892.

Another notable individual with the KUKAJ surname was Liman Kukaj, an Albanian patriot and revolutionary who fought for the liberation of Kosovo from Ottoman rule in the late 19th century. He was born in 1867 in the village of Gjakova and was killed in battle in 1898.

In the early 20th century, a KUKAJ family from the village of Tropoja, in northern Albania, gained recognition for their expertise in traditional Albanian woodcarving and craftsmanship. Their intricate woodwork adorned many homes and buildings in the region.

While the surname KUKAJ is most commonly found in Albania and Kosovo, it has also been recorded in neighboring countries such as North Macedonia and Montenegro, likely due to migration patterns and the historical fluidity of borders in the Balkan region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kukaj

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kukaj.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kukaj was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kukaj has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kukaj was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kukaj, please contact us.

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