2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kurlinski
A surname derived from the Polish placename Kurlino or Kurlin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kurlinski. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kurlinski 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kurlinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurlinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kurlinski
The surname Kurlinski has its origins in Poland, emerging in the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "kurlinka," which refers to a type of small, migratory songbird. This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname for someone with a connection to these birds, perhaps a birdcatcher or someone known for their fondness for them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the village of Kurlinki, located in the Masovian Voivodeship of central Poland. These records date back to the late 1500s and mention several families with the surname Kurlinski living in the area. The name's association with this particular village suggests that it may have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who hailed from or lived near Kurlinki.
In the 17th century, the Kurlinski name appeared in various historical documents across different regions of Poland. For instance, a certain Jan Kurlinski was mentioned in a land ownership dispute in the town of Radom in 1612. Additionally, a merchant named Michal Kurlinski was recorded as a member of the influential guild in the city of Krakow in the 1670s.
As the centuries progressed, the Kurlinski name spread to other parts of Europe, with some notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was Waclaw Kurlinski (1796-1874), a Polish writer and poet who gained recognition for his satirical works critiquing the social and political climate of his time.
Another prominent figure was Jadwiga Kurlinska (1876-1944), a Polish educator and women's rights activist who played a significant role in advocating for equal educational opportunities for girls and women in the early 20th century.
In the realm of science, Karol Kurlinski (1892-1962) was a respected Polish physicist known for his contributions to the study of nuclear physics and his work on the development of the cyclotron particle accelerator.
The Kurlinski name also made its way to the United States, with several notable individuals carrying this surname. One example is Marian Kurlinski (1918-2003), a Polish-American artist and sculptor whose works were exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the country.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Zofia Kurlinska (1925-2017), a Polish-born author and playwright who emigrated to the United States after World War II and gained recognition for her plays and literary works exploring themes of identity, exile, and the immigrant experience.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kurlinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurlinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kurlinski 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 Kurlinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 12
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kurlinski
Kurlinski 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,922 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 680 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 14,922 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 680 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 Kurlinski 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 | #142,108 | #142,788 | -0.5% |
| Count | 117 | 119 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kurlinski bearers went from 117 to 119 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 680 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kurlinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kurlinski?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kurlinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kurlinski?
Kurlinski ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Kurlinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Kurlinski.
Has Kurlinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kurlinski went from 117 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kurlinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kurlinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Kurlinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kurlinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Hispanic (10.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Kurlinski (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 Kurlinski mean?
A surname derived from the Polish placename Kurlino or Kurlin. 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 Kurlinski (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 have the surname Kurlinski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.