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

Volkoff, 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 Volkoff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Volkoff in America

Volkoff is the 123796th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Volkoff surname appeared 139 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 Volkoff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Volkoff 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.

The history of the last name Volkoff

The surname Volkoff originated in Russia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Russian word "volki," meaning "wolves." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a forest inhabited by wolves or someone who hunted or worked with wolves.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Volkoff can be traced back to the 13th century in various Russian chronicles and manuscripts. One notable example is Andrei Volkoff, a noble landowner mentioned in a land grant document from the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1287.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Volkoff name appeared in several historical records, including tax registers and military rolls. One prominent figure from this period was Ivan Volkoff, a Cossack leader who fought against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the early 1600s.

In the 18th century, the Volkoff name gained recognition with the birth of Grigory Volkoff (1742-1823), a Russian poet and playwright who was a contemporary of Alexander Pushkin. Grigory's works often celebrated the natural beauty of Russia and its folklore.

Another notable bearer of the Volkoff surname was Natalya Volkoff (1866-1942), a renowned Russian ballerina who performed with the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg. She was celebrated for her roles in productions such as "Swan Lake" and "The Sleeping Beauty."

In the 20th century, the Volkoff name gained international recognition with the physicist Vladimir Volkoff (1912-1994). Born in St. Petersburg, Volkoff made significant contributions to the study of neutron stars and the equation of state for dense nuclear matter.

Other individuals with the Volkoff surname include the Russian-American novelist Andrei Volkoff (1925-2008), known for his historical fiction set in Russia, and Yelena Volkoff (1979-), a contemporary Russian artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited worldwide.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Volkoff

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

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 Volkoff was:

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

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

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

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