2000
#12,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,190
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Kula
A Polish or Ukrainian habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "ball" or "sphere" in Polish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,436 Americans carry the last name Kula. That puts it at #13,660 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,704 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kula 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kula with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,704
Census rank
#13,660
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,124 bearers of the surname Kula in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13660th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kula, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kula
Among Census respondents with the surname Kula, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kula 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 Kula surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,947
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 56
- Two or more races2.4% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 45
- Black or African American0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kula
Kula 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
#10,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,012
+822 bearers (+37.5%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 2,252 places
2020
#13,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,124
-888 bearers (-29.5%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 3,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,883 | 2,190 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,631 | 3,012 | 1.02 | +822 bearers (+37.5%) | Up 2,252 places |
| 2020 | #13,660 | 2,124 | 0.71 | -888 bearers (-29.5%) | Down 3,029 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 Kula 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 | #10,631 | #13,660 | -28.5% |
| Count | 3,012 | 2,124 | -29.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.71 | -30.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kula bearers went from 3,012 to 2,124 (-29.5% change). The surname moved down 3,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,631 to #13,660.
FAQ
Kula surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kula?
Name Census estimates that about 2,436 living Americans carry the surname Kula. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,704 residents.
How common is Kula?
Kula ranks #13,660 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,124 people with the surname Kula. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,436), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kula.
Has Kula become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kula went from 3,012 recorded bearers to 2,124. That is a decrease of 888 (-29.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,631 to #13,660.
What does the Census say about the background of Kula?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kula, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kula in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,947 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kula appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Kula (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 Kula mean?
A Polish or Ukrainian habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "ball" or "sphere" in Polish. 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 Kula (0.71 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 common is the surname Kula?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kula? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.