2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Balsewicz
A Polish surname likely derived from a place name referring to a swampy area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Balsewicz. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balsewicz 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Balsewicz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balsewicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balsewicz
The surname BALSEWICZ is of Polish origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century in the region of Pomerania, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The name is believed to have derived from the Old Polish word "bałsy," meaning "fables" or "tales," indicating that the earliest bearers of this name may have been storytellers or entertainers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BALSEWICZ can be found in the parish records of the town of Gdańsk (formerly known as Danzig) in the late 1500s. The name appears in various spellings, such as Balsewicz, Balsewycz, and Balsewitz, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.
In the 17th century, the BALSEWICZ name gained prominence in the nobility and landholding classes of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Jan Balsewicz (1612-1678), a descendant of an affluent family from the Bydgoszcz region, was a renowned military commander who served under King Jan II Kazimierz during the Swedish Deluge.
During the 18th century, the BALSEWICZ name spread across the territories of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including modern-day Belarus and Ukraine. Karol Balsewicz (1751-1821), a prominent landowner from the Vitebsk region (now in Belarus), was known for his philanthropic endeavors and patronage of the arts.
As the 19th century dawned, the BALSEWICZ name found its way into the annals of literature and academia. Franciszek Balsewicz (1804-1876), a poet and literary critic from the Poznań region, was a leading figure in the Polish cultural revival movement of the time.
Another notable figure was Maria Balsewicz (1865-1942), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in the Galicia region (now part of Ukraine). She founded several schools for girls and worked tirelessly to promote equal access to education for women.
Throughout its history, the BALSEWICZ surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, military leaders, and landowners, reflecting the diverse tapestry of Polish society over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balsewicz
Among Census respondents with the surname Balsewicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Balsewicz 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 Balsewicz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 91
- Black or African American11.4% · 13
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balsewicz
Balsewicz 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+17 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,581 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-8 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 7,581 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 9,168 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 Balsewicz 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 | #137,327 | #146,495 | -6.7% |
| Count | 122 | 114 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balsewicz bearers went from 122 to 114 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 9,168 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #146,495.
FAQ
Balsewicz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balsewicz?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Balsewicz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Balsewicz?
Balsewicz ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Balsewicz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Balsewicz.
Has Balsewicz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balsewicz went from 122 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Balsewicz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balsewicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Balsewicz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balsewicz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Black (11.4%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Balsewicz (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 Balsewicz mean?
A Polish surname likely derived from a place name referring to a swampy area. 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 Balsewicz (0.04 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 share the surname Balsewicz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.