2000
#116,835
National surname rank
First available Census row
A Polish surname derived from the word "bartnik" meaning "beekeeper" or "honey-gatherer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Bartnikowski. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartnikowski 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Bartnikowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartnikowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
The surname Bartnikowski is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It originates from the region of Greater Poland, specifically the areas around the cities of Poznań and Gniezno.
The name Bartnikowski is derived from the Polish word "bartnik," which means "beekeeper" or "honey gatherer." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in apiculture, or the keeping and management of honeybees.
Historical records indicate that the name Bartnikowski appeared in various medieval Polish documents, including land ownership records and town registers. One notable early mention is found in the Tarnów Grod Records from the 15th century, which documented legal proceedings in the region.
The earliest known individual bearing the Bartnikowski surname was Jan Bartnikowski, who lived in the village of Kościelna Wieś near Poznań in the late 14th century. Another early reference is to Marcin Bartnikowski, a beekeeper from the town of Gniezno, who was mentioned in a land deed from 1412.
Over the centuries, the Bartnikowski surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Andrzej Bartnikowski (1516-1584), a renowned Polish cartographer and mathematician who produced some of the earliest detailed maps of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Katarzyna Bartnikowska (1618-1688), a Polish noblewoman and philanthropist who founded several schools and hospitals in the region of Wielkopolska.
In the 19th century, Józef Bartnikowski (1838-1917) was a prominent Polish writer and journalist, known for his works on Polish history and culture.
Other notable individuals with the Bartnikowski surname include Marian Bartnikowski (1901-1987), a Polish military officer and resistance fighter during World War II, and Stanisław Bartnikowski (1912-1997), a Polish artist and sculptor renowned for his religious-themed works.
The Bartnikowski surname has remained prevalent in Poland, particularly in the regions of Greater Poland and Kuyavia-Pomerania, where it has its roots. While the name has also spread to other parts of the world through migration, its origins remain firmly rooted in the rich cultural and historical tapestry of Poland.
Demographics
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartnikowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartnikowski 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 Bartnikowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
Timeline
Bartnikowski 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.
2000
National surname rank
First available Census row
2010
National surname rank
+10 bearers (+7.2%)
2020
National surname rank
-28 bearers (-18.9%)
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 645 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 24,569 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
How has the Bartnikowski surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #117,480 | #142,049 | -20.9% |
| Count | 148 | 120 | -18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartnikowski bearers went from 148 to 120 (-18.9% change). The surname moved down 24,569 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #142,049.
FAQ
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Bartnikowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
Bartnikowski ranks #142,049 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.
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Bartnikowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
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 Bartnikowski.
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartnikowski went from 148 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 28 (-18.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #142,049.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartnikowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bartnikowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (115 people in the source table).
Bartnikowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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.
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 Bartnikowski (2000, 2010, 2020).
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.
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.
A Polish surname derived from the word "bartnik" meaning "beekeeper" or "honey-gatherer". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
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.
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 Bartnikowski (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.
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.