2000
#27,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 829
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Very Rare Last name
Kuklinski
A Polish surname derived from the word "kukla," meaning puppet or doll.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 924 Americans carry the last name Kuklinski. That puts it at #30,901 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 370,946 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuklinski 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
924
1 in 370,946
Census rank
#30,901
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
806
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 806 bearers of the surname Kuklinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30901st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuklinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuklinski
The surname Kuklinski originates from Poland and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "kukla," which means "doll" or "puppet," suggesting that the name may have been a nickname or occupational name for a doll maker or puppeteer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the town of Krakow, where a certain Jakub Kuklinski was mentioned in 1568. The name was also present in the records of the nearby town of Tarnów in the late 16th century.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kuklinski name became more widespread across various regions of Poland, particularly in the areas of Mazovia, Greater Poland, and Silesia. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Jan Kuklinski (1572-1639), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian, and Franciszek Kuklinski (1695-1768), a Polish nobleman and landowner from the Kraków region.
In the 19th century, the Kuklinski name gained prominence with the birth of Władysław Kuklinski (1838-1912), a Polish mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the field of geometry. Another notable figure was Ludwik Kuklinski (1865-1942), a Polish architect and urban planner who played a key role in the development of modern-day Warsaw.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the Kuklinski surname was Ryszard Kuklinski (1930-2004), a former Polish military officer who became a spy for the United States during the Cold War. His actions contributed to the peaceful dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the eventual fall of communism in Eastern Europe.
Other notable Kuklinskis include Andrzej Kuklinski (born 1944), a Polish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of National Defense, and Beata Kuklinska (born 1973), a Polish journalist and television presenter.
While the origins of the Kuklinski name can be traced back to 16th century Poland, it has since spread to other countries, particularly through migration and diaspora communities. However, the name remains most prevalent in its homeland of Poland, where it continues to hold historical and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuklinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuklinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuklinski 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 Kuklinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 757
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 29
- Two or more races1.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuklinski
Kuklinski 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
#28,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 834
+5 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 1,201 places
2020
#30,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 806
-28 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 2,314 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,386 | 829 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,587 | 834 | 0.28 | +5 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 1,201 places |
| 2020 | #30,901 | 806 | 0.27 | -28 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 2,314 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 Kuklinski 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 | #28,587 | #30,901 | -8.1% |
| Count | 834 | 806 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.27 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuklinski bearers went from 834 to 806 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 2,314 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,587 to #30,901.
FAQ
Kuklinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuklinski?
Name Census estimates that about 924 living Americans carry the surname Kuklinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 370,946 residents.
How common is Kuklinski?
Kuklinski ranks #30,901 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 806 people with the surname Kuklinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Kuklinski.
Has Kuklinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuklinski went from 834 recorded bearers to 806. That is a decrease of 28 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,587 to #30,901.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuklinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuklinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Kuklinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (757 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuklinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Kuklinski (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 Kuklinski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "kukla," meaning puppet or doll. 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 Kuklinski (0.27 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 are called Kuklinski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Kuklinski at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.