Kurpiewski last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Kurpiewski

Polish surname denoting someone from the Kurpie region or given to inhabitants from there.

Kurpiewski, 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 Kurpiewski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kurpiewski in America

Kurpiewski is the 60960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kurpiewski surname appeared 330 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 Kurpiewski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kurpiewski 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 60960 63141 -3.51%
Count 330 296 10.86%
Proportion per 100k 0.11 0.11 0.00%

The history of the last name Kurpiewski

The surname Kurpiewski originates from Poland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Polish word "kurp", which means "a forest dweller" or "a resident of the forest". The name is associated with the Kurpie region in northeastern Poland, which was historically known for its dense forests and woodlands.

In the Middle Ages, the Kurpie region was sparsely populated, and its inhabitants were mainly engaged in forestry, hunting, and gathering. The surname Kurpiewski was likely adopted by families who lived and worked in the Kurpie forests, distinguishing them from other Polish families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kurpiewski can be found in a 14th-century land registry document from the town of Ostrołęka, which was located in the heart of the Kurpie region. The document mentions a man named Jan Kurpiewski, who was granted a parcel of land in recognition of his service to the local lord.

During the Renaissance period, the surname Kurpiewski began to spread beyond the Kurpie region as families migrated to other parts of Poland. In the 16th century, a nobleman named Bartłomiej Kurpiewski was mentioned in the chronicles of the city of Kraków for his involvement in local politics.

In the 18th century, a famous Polish writer and poet named Józef Kurpiewski (1733-1805) gained recognition for his satirical works that criticized the aristocracy and advocated for social reforms. His writings shed light on the lives of the Kurpie people and their unique cultural traditions.

Another notable figure with the surname Kurpiewski was Stanisław Kurpiewski (1871-1949), a Polish painter and educator who specialized in landscape and genre paintings. His works often depicted the rural landscapes and traditional lifestyles of the Kurpie region.

Throughout history, the surname Kurpiewski has been associated with various place names and localities in northeastern Poland, such as Kurpie, Kurpiowska, and Kurpik. These place names reflect the strong connection between the surname and the forested region from which it originated.

While the surname Kurpiewski is most commonly found in Poland, it has also been carried by Polish immigrants to other countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where it has become more widely dispersed.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kurpiewski

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

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 Kurpiewski was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.85% 313
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 3.33% 11

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 Kurpiewski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.85% 96.62% -1.85%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 3.33% 2.70% 20.90%

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

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

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"Kurpiewski last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on September 15, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/kurpiewski-surname-popularity/.

"Kurpiewski last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/kurpiewski-surname-popularity/. Accessed 15 September, 2025

Kurpiewski last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/kurpiewski-surname-popularity/.

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