2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bawiec
A Polish surname likely derived from a place name or an occupational nickname relating to livestock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Bawiec. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bawiec 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Bawiec in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bawiec, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bawiec
The surname Bawiec is of Polish origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the region of Greater Poland, specifically the areas around the city of Poznan.
The name Bawiec is derived from the old Polish word "bawić," which means "to amuse" or "to entertain." It is likely that the name was initially given as a nickname or occupational name to someone who worked as an entertainer or performer, such as a jester, actor, or musician.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Bawiec surname can be found in a 15th-century document from the town of Kalisz, where a certain Stanisław Bawiec was mentioned as a resident. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, where a student named Jan Bawiec was enrolled in 1554. This demonstrates that the name had spread to other parts of Poland and was recognized among the educated class.
Interestingly, the Bawiec surname also has a connection to a village in the Lublin region, known as Bawice. It is possible that the name originated from this place, or that the village was named after an early settler with the Bawiec surname.
One notable bearer of the Bawiec name was Franciszek Bawiec (1801-1876), a Polish painter and artist who gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits. Another was Józef Bawiec (1888-1964), a Polish writer and journalist who contributed to several literary magazines in the early 20th century.
Other historical figures with the Bawiec surname include Kazimierz Bawiec (1910-1985), a Polish military officer who fought in World War II, and Stanisław Bawiec (1920-1998), a Polish composer and conductor known for his work in film and theater music.
It is worth noting that the Bawiec name has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, such as Bawietz, Bawitz, and Bawietz, reflecting the evolution of the Polish language and regional dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bawiec
Among Census respondents with the surname Bawiec, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bawiec 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 Bawiec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 107
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bawiec
Bawiec appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,001 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,001 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 Bawiec 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 | #145,220 | #147,221 | -1.4% |
| Count | 114 | 113 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bawiec bearers went from 114 to 113 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,001 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #147,221.
FAQ
Bawiec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bawiec?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Bawiec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Bawiec?
Bawiec ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Bawiec. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Bawiec.
Has Bawiec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bawiec went from 114 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Bawiec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bawiec, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Bawiec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bawiec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Black (1.8%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Bawiec (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 Bawiec mean?
A Polish surname likely derived from a place name or an occupational nickname relating to livestock. 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 Bawiec (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 have the last name Bawiec?
Find out how common the surname Bawiec is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.