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

Volkova, 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 Volkova surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Volkova in America

Volkova is the 84463rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Volkova surname appeared 222 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 Volkova.

We can also compare 2010 data for Volkova 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 Volkova

The surname VOLKOVA originated in Russia, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Russian word "volk," meaning "wolf," and the feminine suffix "-ova," indicating that it was originally a patronymic surname given to the daughters of men named Volk.

VOLKOVA is believed to have first emerged in the regions around Moscow and St. Petersburg, where it was commonly found among the Russian nobility and gentry. Some of the earliest records of the name appear in the Velvet Book, a register of noble families compiled in the late 16th century.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the VOLKOVA surname spread across various parts of the Russian Empire, including modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states. It was particularly prevalent among the Cossack communities in southern Russia, where the wolf held symbolic significance as a symbol of strength and courage.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the VOLKOVA surname was Tatiana Volkova (1610-1678), a Russian noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Tsarina Maria Miloslavskaya, the first wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Another prominent figure was Pyotr Volkov (1765-1835), a Russian actor and theater director who is considered a pioneer of Russian theater.

In the 19th century, the VOLKOVA surname gained international recognition through the works of Russian writers such as Ivan Turgenev and Leo Tolstoy, who featured characters with this surname in their novels. One of the most famous literary figures was Anna Volkova, the protagonist of Turgenev's novel "On the Eve," published in 1860.

Other notable individuals with the VOLKOVA surname include Yelena Volkova (1924-2005), a Soviet and Russian actress renowned for her roles in classic films like "The Cranes Are Flying" (1957); Galina Volkova (1939-2018), a Soviet and Russian ballerina who was a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet; and Yuri Volkov (1962-2021), a Russian physicist and astronaut who spent over a year aboard the International Space Station.

Throughout its history, the VOLKOVA surname has maintained a strong presence in Russia and the former Soviet republics, with various branches and variations emerging over time, such as Volkov, Volkoff, and Wolkoff.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Volkova

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

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

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

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