2000
#24,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 947
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Bartkowiak
A Polish surname indicating one's ancestor was a beekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,083 Americans carry the last name Bartkowiak. That puts it at #27,108 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 316,486 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartkowiak 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bartkowiak with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 316,486
Census rank
#27,108
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
944
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 944 bearers of the surname Bartkowiak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27108th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartkowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.4%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bartkowiak
The surname BARTKOWIAK originates from Poland, where it first emerged in the 14th century. The name likely derives from the Polish word "bartnik," which refers to a beekeeper or someone who maintained beehives in the forests. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been involved in beekeeping or lived near areas where this activity took place.
The BARTKOWIAK name is believed to have originated in the region of Greater Poland, specifically in the areas around the cities of Poznan and Gniezno. These areas were known for their dense forests, which provided an ideal environment for beekeeping during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BARTKOWIAK name can be found in a document from the town of Kalisz, dating back to 1389. This document mentions a landowner named Bartosz Bartkowiak, who was granted a parcel of land in recognition of his service to the local nobility.
In the 15th century, the BARTKOWIAK name appeared in several historical records from the Poznan region. One notable example is a reference to a merchant named Jan Bartkowiak, who was involved in the trade of honey and beeswax between Poland and the Hanseatic League cities in the late 1400s.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the BARTKOWIAK name spread to other parts of Poland, particularly in the regions of Silesia and Pomerania. In 1562, a record from the town of Bytom mentions a blacksmith named Maciej Bartkowiak, while in 1637, a document from Gdansk refers to a shipwright named Tomasz Bartkowiak.
One of the most famous individuals with the BARTKOWIAK surname was Kazimierz Bartkowiak (1809-1887), a Polish writer and journalist who played a significant role in the development of Polish literature and journalism in the 19th century. Another notable figure was Stanislaw Bartkowiak (1876-1952), a Polish engineer and inventor who made important contributions to the field of aviation and aeronautics.
Other notable individuals with the BARTKOWIAK surname include:
1. Józef Bartkowiak (1834-1910), a Polish politician and member of the Prussian Parliament.
2. Franciszek Bartkowiak (1892-1964), a Polish painter known for his landscape and genre paintings.
3. Henryk Bartkowiak (1926-2009), a Polish film director and screenwriter who worked in both Poland and the United States.
4. Miroslaw Bartkowiak (born 1958), a Polish-American film director and cinematographer, best known for his work on action and science fiction films.
5. Jakub Bartkowiak (born 1987), a Polish professional basketball player who has played in several European leagues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bartkowiak
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartkowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.4%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartkowiak 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 Bartkowiak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 913
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 13
- Two or more races0.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bartkowiak
Bartkowiak 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
#26,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 925
-22 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 1,690 places
2020
#27,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 944
+19 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 717 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,701 | 947 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,391 | 925 | 0.31 | -22 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,690 places |
| 2020 | #27,108 | 944 | 0.32 | +19 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 717 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 Bartkowiak 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 | #26,391 | #27,108 | -2.7% |
| Count | 925 | 944 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.32 | 1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartkowiak bearers went from 925 to 944 (+2.1% change). The surname moved down 717 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,391 to #27,108.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bartkowiak
FAQ
Bartkowiak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bartkowiak?
Name Census estimates that about 1,083 living Americans carry the surname Bartkowiak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 316,486 residents.
How common is Bartkowiak?
Bartkowiak ranks #27,108 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 944 people with the surname Bartkowiak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,083), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Bartkowiak.
Has Bartkowiak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartkowiak went from 925 recorded bearers to 944. That is an increase of 19 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,391 to #27,108.
What does the Census say about the background of Bartkowiak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartkowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.4%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Bartkowiak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (913 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bartkowiak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Hispanic (1.4%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Bartkowiak (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 Bartkowiak mean?
A Polish surname indicating one's ancestor was a beekeeper. 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 Bartkowiak (0.32 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 Bartkowiak?
See how common the surname Bartkowiak is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.