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

Kulig, 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 Kulig surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kulig in America

Kulig is the 22892nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kulig surname appeared 1,118 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 Kulig.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kulig 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 Kulig

The surname Kulig originated in Poland. It is derived from the Polish word "kulig", which refers to a traditional sleigh ride or winter festival celebrated in the 19th century. The name first appeared in records from the mid-1800s in the regions of Mazovia and Lesser Poland.

The earliest known bearer of the Kulig surname was Jan Kulig, born in 1832 in the village of Wola Duchacka near Cracow. He was a farmer and local organizer of kulig festivals in his community. Another early record is of Józef Kulig, born in 1845 in the town of Grodzisk Mazowiecki, who worked as a coachman and likely provided sleigh rides during the winter months.

In the late 19th century, the name Kulig can be found in various church and municipal records from central and southern Poland. Some examples include Franciszek Kulig (1867-1921) from Lublin, a carpenter by trade, and Marianna Kulig (1879-1952) from Częstochowa, a seamstress.

One notable bearer of the Kulig surname was Stanisław Kulig (1892-1965), a Polish military officer who served in World War I and later became a member of the Polish Underground State during World War II. He was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration, for his bravery and resistance efforts against the Nazi occupation.

Another significant figure was Jadwiga Kulig (1915-2009), a Polish actress and theater director who had a prolific career spanning over six decades. She was honored with numerous awards, including the prestigious Gloria Artis Gold Medal for Merit to Culture.

In the early 20th century, some Kulig families emigrated from Poland to other parts of Europe and the United States, likely in search of better economic opportunities. However, the name remains most prevalent in its homeland, particularly in the central and southern regions of Poland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kulig

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

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

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

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