Dutch: from Middle Dutch kooye ‘decoy cage fold’ a metonymic occupational name for a maker of cages or decoys or for someone who caught ducks by decoying them.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
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Where is the Kooi family from?
You can see how Kooi families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kooi family name was found in the USA between 1880 and 1920. The most Kooi families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there was 1 Kooi family living in Illinois. This was about 50% of all the recorded Kooi's in USA. Illinois and 1 other state had the highest population of Kooi families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kooi surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
In 1940, Farmer and Inspector were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Kooi. 40% of Kooi men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Kooi women worked as an Inspector. .
Between 1960 and 2004, in the United States, Kooi life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1982, and highest in 1980. The average life expectancy for Kooi in 1960 was 54, and 70 in 2004.