Bernard Kowalski
There are approximately 5 people named Bernard Kowalski living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 68,550,868 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Bernard with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Kowalski. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
5
1 in 68,550,868
Named Bernard
80K
Alive today
Named Kowalski
21K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 80K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1924
Average age: 64
Estimated bearers: 21K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,999
Per 100K: 6.13
Top ancestry: White (96.0%)
First name trend
Bernard: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Bernard. The peak year was 1924 with 4,524 births. The average person named Bernard today is 64 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Kowalski surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Kowalski, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 96.0%.
- White96.0%
- Hispanic or Latino1.9%
- Two or more races1.1%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5%
- Black or African American0.3%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Bernard has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0232% of the US population, based on 79,598 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Kowalski appears at a rate of 6.13 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0061%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 5 people with the full name Bernard Kowalski. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Bernard
FAQ
Bernard Kowalski: questions and answers
How many people are named Bernard Kowalski?
We estimate approximately 5 people in the United States share the full name Bernard Kowalski. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0232%) with the surname frequency (6.13 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Bernard Kowalski?
We classify Bernard Kowalski as "Very Rare". About 1 in 68,550,868 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Bernard a male or female name?
Bernard is predominantly male. Out of 200,931 total SSA registrations, 99.5% were male and 0.5% were female. See the full Bernard profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.