2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Skurla
A Polish occupational surname referring to a furrier or skinner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Skurla. 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 Skurla 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 Skurla 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 Skurla, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skurla
The surname SKURLA has its origins in the Slavic regions of central and eastern Europe. The name emerged in the late medieval period, likely derived from the Proto-Slavic root "skur" or "skora," meaning "animal hide" or "leather." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for a tanner or leather worker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SKURLA surname can be found in the Polish tax records from the 16th century, where it appears as "Skurla" in the Krakow region. This spelling variation indicates the name's Polish roots and the influence of the local dialect.
In the 17th century, the SKURLA name appeared in historical documents from the Czech lands, particularly in the Moravian region. A notable bearer of the name during this time was Jan Skurla (1592-1668), a Czech Catholic priest and theologian who served as a rector at the University of Olomouc.
As the SKURLA family spread across the Austro-Hungarian Empire, variations of the name emerged, such as "Skurlik" and "Skurlyak," reflecting regional linguistic differences. In the 19th century, a notable figure was Jozef Skurla (1827-1905), a Slovak writer and educator who played a significant role in preserving Slovak language and culture.
The SKURLA surname can also be traced back to the Silesian region, which was historically part of Prussia and later Germany. In the 18th century, records show the name "Skurla" in the town of Bytom (now in modern-day Poland). One notable bearer from this region was Franz Skurla (1798-1872), a German industrialist and founder of the Skurla Ironworks in Bytom.
Another notable figure with the SKURLA surname was Konstantin Skurla (1867-1943), a Russian-born linguist and scholar who specialized in Slavic languages. He taught at the University of Warsaw and made significant contributions to the study of the Polish language and its dialects.
While the SKURLA surname has its roots in central and eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. The name continues to hold a rich history and connection to the Slavic cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skurla
Among Census respondents with the surname Skurla, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Skurla 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 Skurla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 98
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skurla
Skurla 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
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,615 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,941 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 14,615 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 6,941 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 Skurla 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 | #143,511 | 4.6% |
| Count | 109 | 118 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skurla bearers went from 109 to 118 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 6,941 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #143,511.
FAQ
Skurla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skurla?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Skurla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Skurla?
Skurla 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 Skurla. 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 Skurla.
Has Skurla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skurla went from 109 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Skurla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skurla, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (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 Skurla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skurla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (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 Skurla (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 Skurla mean?
A Polish occupational surname referring to a furrier or skinner. 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 Skurla (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 Skurla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.