2000
#98,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 170
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Kwapis
A surname with possible Polish or Slavic origins, potentially derived from a word meaning "sour."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 197 Americans carry the last name Kwapis. That puts it at #109,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,739,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kwapis 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
197
1 in 1,739,870
Census rank
#109,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
172
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 172 bearers of the surname Kwapis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 109465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwapis, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kwapis
The surname KWAPIS has its origins in Poland, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "kwap," which means "sour" or "acidic." This could suggest that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with or produced sour foods or beverages, such as a brewer or a pickler.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name KWAPIS appeared in various historical records and documents from the regions of Greater Poland and Pomerania, which were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the towns of Poznan and Gdansk.
One of the earliest known bearers of the KWAPIS surname was Jan KWAPIS, a merchant and landowner from the town of Torun, who lived in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Marcin KWAPIS, a renowned clockmaker from Gdansk, who crafted intricate timepieces for the wealthy and nobility in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, the KWAPIS name gained prominence when Katarzyna KWAPIS, a Polish noblewoman and philanthropist, established a charitable foundation in the city of Krakow to support orphans and the underprivileged. Her legacy lived on through the KWAPIS Foundation, which continued to operate for several decades after her death in 1782.
During the 19th century, the KWAPIS surname spread beyond Poland as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Tomasz KWAPIS, a Polish-American artist and painter who settled in Chicago in the late 1800s and gained recognition for his vivid landscapes and portraits.
Another notable bearer of the KWAPIS surname was Wladyslaw KWAPIS, a Polish military officer and strategist who played a significant role in the Polish resistance movement during World War II. He was captured and imprisoned by the Nazis but managed to escape and continue his efforts to undermine the German occupation until the end of the war.
Throughout its history, the KWAPIS surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artisans, noblemen, artists, and military personnel. While the name may have originated from a humble occupation related to food production, it has since transcended its origins and become a proud part of Polish heritage and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kwapis
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwapis, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kwapis 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 Kwapis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 166
- Two or more races2.9% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kwapis
Kwapis 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
#99,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 182
+12 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 608 places
2020
#109,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
-10 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 10,087 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #98,770 | 170 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #99,378 | 182 | 0.06 | +12 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 608 places |
| 2020 | #109,465 | 172 | 0.06 | -10 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 10,087 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 Kwapis 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 | #99,378 | #109,465 | -10.2% |
| Count | 182 | 172 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kwapis bearers went from 182 to 172 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 10,087 positions in the national ranking, going from #99,378 to #109,465.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kwapis
FAQ
Kwapis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kwapis?
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the surname Kwapis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,739,870 residents.
How common is Kwapis?
Kwapis ranks #109,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 172 people with the surname Kwapis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Kwapis.
Has Kwapis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kwapis went from 182 recorded bearers to 172. That is a decrease of 10 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #99,378 to #109,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Kwapis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwapis, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Kwapis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (166 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kwapis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Kwapis (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 Kwapis mean?
A surname with possible Polish or Slavic origins, potentially derived from a word meaning "sour." 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 Kwapis (0.06 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 common is the surname Kwapis?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Kwapis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.