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

Kula, 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 Kula surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kula in America

Kula is the 10631st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kula surname appeared 3,012 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kula.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kula 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 Kula

The surname KULA originates from Poland, with its roots dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Polish word "kula," which means "ball" or "sphere." This may have been a reference to a person's physical appearance or occupation.

In the early days, the name was commonly found in the regions of Wielkopolska, Mazowsze, and Małopolska. Historical records indicate that variations of the spelling, such as "Kul," "Kulik," and "Kulak," were also prevalent.

One of the earliest documented references to the name KULA can be found in the Tyniec Monastery records from the 13th century, where a certain Jakub Kula is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Skawina.

During the 14th century, the KULA surname gained prominence, with notable figures like Jan Kula, a renowned merchant and trader who established trade routes between Poland and the Hanseatic League cities.

In the 16th century, the name KULA appeared in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of official records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One such entry mentions a Marcin Kula, born in 1532, who served as a court scribe in Kraków.

The 17th century saw the rise of Mikołaj Kula (1598-1671), a respected scholar and author who wrote extensively on topics ranging from philosophy to theology.

In the 18th century, the KULA surname was associated with several prominent military figures. Tomasz Kula (1722-1794) was a decorated cavalry officer who fought in the Polish-Russian War of 1768-1772.

The 19th century brought forth Karol Kula (1829-1897), a renowned painter and educator who played a significant role in the development of Polish art education.

Throughout history, the KULA surname has been linked to various locations, including the villages of Kulawy, Kulawka, and Kulaki, which may have contributed to the surname's origin and widespread use.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kula

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

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 Kula 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 Kula 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 Kula was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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