2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kulczak
A Polish surname derived from the word "kulka" meaning "small ball" or "bullet".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Kulczak. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kulczak 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Kulczak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulczak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kulczak
The surname Kulczak is of Polish origin, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "kulcz," which means "lame" or "limping." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to an individual with a physical impairment or distinctive way of walking.
In the early centuries of its existence, the name Kulczak was primarily concentrated in the regions of modern-day central and southern Poland. It is believed that some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Polish documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries.
While the Kulczak surname does not appear in significant historical works like the Domesday Book, it has been documented in various Polish chronicles and manuscripts throughout the centuries. One notable early reference is in the "Kodeks Dyplomatyczny Wielkopolski" (Diplomatic Codex of Greater Poland), a compilation of medieval charters and documents from the region.
Among the earliest recorded individuals bearing the Kulczak surname was Jan Kulczak, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Kościelec, near Poznań, in the late 15th century. Another early bearer of the name was Mikołaj Kulczak, a blacksmith from the town of Lwówek Śląski, mentioned in records from the early 16th century.
Over the centuries, the Kulczak surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Franciszek Kulczak (1734-1804), a Polish Roman Catholic priest and philosopher who taught at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Another was Józef Kulczak (1806-1875), a Polish writer and poet who published works in both Polish and German.
In more recent history, the Kulczak surname has been carried by individuals like Krzysztof Kulczak (1932-2012), a Polish actor and theater director, and Stanisław Kulczak (born 1954), a Polish politician and member of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament.
It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the Kulczak surname may have occurred over time, with some alternative forms including Kulczyk, Kulczyk, and Kulczek. Additionally, the name may have been influenced by or derived from certain place names in Poland, though the exact connections are not always clear.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kulczak
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulczak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kulczak 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 Kulczak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 99
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kulczak
Kulczak 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,688 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-18 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11,688 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 16,263 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 Kulczak 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 | #137,327 | #153,590 | -11.8% |
| Count | 122 | 104 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kulczak bearers went from 122 to 104 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 16,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #153,590.
FAQ
Kulczak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kulczak?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Kulczak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Kulczak?
Kulczak ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Kulczak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kulczak.
Has Kulczak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kulczak went from 122 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Kulczak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kulczak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Kulczak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kulczak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Kulczak (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 Kulczak mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "kulka" meaning "small ball" or "bullet". 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 Kulczak (0.03 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 Kulczak?
Want to know how common the surname Kulczak is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.