2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kumbalek
A surname of Polish origin referring to a person from a place called Kumbalek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Kumbalek. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kumbalek 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Kumbalek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumbalek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kumbalek
The surname Kumbalek is believed to have originated in the region of Pomerania, which is located in present-day northern Poland and eastern Germany. It is thought to date back to the 15th century or earlier. The name is likely derived from the Slavic root words "kumb" or "kumba," which referred to a type of vessel or container, and the suffix "-lek," which is a diminutive form.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kumbalek surname can be found in the 16th-century parish records of the town of Stargard, located in what was then the Duchy of Pomerania. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in this region during the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the late 16th century, a man named Jan Kumbalek was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Słupsk, also in Pomerania. Records indicate that he was involved in the trade of various goods, including timber and agricultural products.
Another notable individual with the surname Kumbalek was Kasper Kumbalek, who lived in the early 17th century. He was a skilled craftsman and woodcarver, and some of his intricate works can still be found adorning churches and buildings in the Pomeranian region.
In the 18th century, a family by the name of Kumbalek was recorded as residing in the village of Grzmiąca, near the city of Gdańsk (formerly known as Danzig). One member of this family, Michał Kumbalek, born in 1742, was a respected farmer and landowner in the area.
During the 19th century, the Kumbalek surname began to spread beyond the borders of Pomerania, as members of the family migrated to other parts of Europe and even further afield. One such individual was Franciszek Kumbalek, born in 1823, who was a renowned botanist and explorer. He traveled extensively throughout Central and South America, documenting and cataloging various plant species.
It is worth noting that the Kumbalek surname may have undergone slight variations in spelling over the centuries, with alternative forms such as Kumbaleк, Kumbałek, or Kumbahlek appearing in different historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kumbalek
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumbalek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kumbalek 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 Kumbalek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kumbalek
Kumbalek 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,981 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+12 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,258 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 11,981 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 10,258 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 Kumbalek 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 | #153,769 | #143,511 | 6.7% |
| Count | 106 | 118 | 11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kumbalek bearers went from 106 to 118 (+11.3% change). The surname moved up 10,258 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #143,511.
FAQ
Kumbalek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kumbalek?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Kumbalek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Kumbalek?
Kumbalek ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Kumbalek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kumbalek.
Has Kumbalek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kumbalek went from 106 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 12 (+11.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Kumbalek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kumbalek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Kumbalek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kumbalek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (4.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Kumbalek (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 Kumbalek mean?
A surname of Polish origin referring to a person from a place called Kumbalek. 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 Kumbalek (0.04 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 many people share the surname Kumbalek?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.