Explore the Family Name Kopec
The meaning of Kopec
1. Polish (Kopeć): from kopeć ‘smoke, soot’, probably a nickname for a dirty or swarthy person; or alternatively a metonymic occupational name for a chimneysweep or for someone who worked in a smokehouse. 2. Czech and Slovak: topographic name from kopec ‘small ridge in the terrain, small hill’. Some characteristic forenames: Polish Jerzy, Jozef, Stanislaw, Boguslaw, Ewa, Henryk, Jacek, Janina, Lucyna, Ludwik, Aniela, Elzbieta.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Kopec in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Kopec fluctuated between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 11,105 in terms of prevalence, but by 2010, it had slightly fallen to 11,865, which is a 6.84% decrease. However, despite the drop in rank, the number of people bearing the surname increased marginally from 2,623 in 2000 to 2,639 in 2010, amounting to a growth of 0.61%. Consequently, its proportion per 100k people fell by 8.25%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,105 | #11,865 | -6.84% |
| Count | 2,623 | 2,639 | 0.61% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.97 | 0.89 | -8.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kopec
Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of those with the Kopec surname identify as White, accounting for 96.87% in 2000 and increasing slightly to 97.39% in 2010. Interestingly, the percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw an increase of 25.93%, albeit from a small base of 0.27% in 2000 to 0.34% in 2010. On the other hand, there was a decrease in those identifying as having two or more ethnicities, from 1.33% in 2000 to 1.02% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic also declined from 1.33% to 1.17%. The percentages for Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native remained constant at 0.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.87% | 97.39% | 0.54% |
| Hispanic | 1.33% | 1.17% | -12.03% |
| Two or More Races | 1.33% | 1.02% | -23.31% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.27% | 0.34% | 25.93% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |