2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kuzava
A habitational name from a place called Kuzava, of unknown origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Kuzava. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuzava 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Kuzava in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuzava, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuzava
The surname KUZAVA is of Ukrainian origin, emerging in the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Kuziava, located in the western region of Ukraine, near the city of Lviv. The name itself may be derived from the Ukrainian word "kuz," meaning a blacksmith or metalworker, indicating a possible occupation-based origin.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to church records and census data from the late 16th and early 17th centuries in the region around Lviv. One of the earliest documented individuals bearing this surname was Ivan Kuzava, a blacksmith born in 1589 in the village of Kuziava.
In the 18th century, the KUZAVA surname appeared in various historical records, including land registry documents and military enlistment rolls. Notably, Petro Kuzava, born in 1712, was a prominent landowner and local official in the town of Zolochiv.
As the Ukrainian diaspora spread across Europe and beyond, the KUZAVA surname traveled with them. In the late 19th century, Mykola Kuzava, born in 1865, was a Ukrainian writer and poet who immigrated to Canada, contributing to the preservation of Ukrainian culture and literature in the diaspora.
Another notable figure was Olena Kuzava, born in 1892, a Ukrainian educator and feminist activist who played a significant role in advocating for women's rights and access to education in Western Ukraine during the early 20th century.
During World War II, Volodymyr Kuzava, born in 1920, was a member of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, fighting against both Nazi German and Soviet forces for Ukrainian independence. His bravery and sacrifice were later recognized with military honors.
While the KUZAVA surname may not be among the most common in Ukraine, its rich history and connections to various professions, cultural figures, and historical events make it a distinctive and significant part of Ukrainian heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuzava
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuzava, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuzava 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 Kuzava surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 107
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuzava
Kuzava 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,711 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,711 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 247 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 Kuzava 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 | #150,452 | #150,205 | 0.2% |
| Count | 109 | 109 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuzava bearers went from 109 to 109 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #150,205.
FAQ
Kuzava surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuzava?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Kuzava. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Kuzava?
Kuzava ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Kuzava. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Kuzava.
Has Kuzava become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuzava went from 109 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuzava?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuzava, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Kuzava in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuzava appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Kuzava (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 Kuzava mean?
A habitational name from a place called Kuzava, of unknown origin. 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 Kuzava (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 Kuzava?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.