2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Boyanowski
A surname of Polish origin, potentially referring to someone from the village of Boyanowo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Boyanowski. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boyanowski 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Boyanowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyanowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boyanowski
The surname Boyanowski is of Polish origin, derived from the Slavic word "bayan" meaning "tale" or "story". It is believed to have originated in the 15th or 16th century in the region of Pomerania, which was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 1492 census record from the town of Gdansk, where a family by the name of "Boyanovski" is listed among the local residents. The name is thought to have referred to a person who was a skilled storyteller or bard, relating tales and legends from the rich Slavic folklore tradition.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical documents from the regions of Wielkopolska and Mazovia, suggesting that families bearing this surname had spread to other areas of Poland. During this time, the spelling of the name varied, with variations like "Boyanovskiy" and "Bojanowski" also being used.
One notable figure with this surname was Wawrzyniec Boyanowski (1573-1644), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars of the early 17th century. He is mentioned in several contemporary accounts of battles and military campaigns from that era.
Another individual of note was Karolina Boyanowska (1810-1891), a Polish writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and prose works in the Romantic tradition. Her works often celebrated Polish patriotism and the struggle for independence from foreign rule.
In the 19th century, the surname appeared in records from the city of Poznan, where a prominent family of scholars and academics bore the name Boyanowski. Among them was Józef Boyanowski (1817-1896), a respected linguist and professor at the University of Poznan, who wrote extensively on Slavic languages and dialects.
Another individual from this time period was Stanisław Boyanowski (1841-1918), a Polish engineer and industrialist who founded several successful manufacturing companies in the city of Lodz. He played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in that region.
In the 20th century, the name Boyanowski continued to be found in various parts of Poland, with notable individuals such as Andrzej Boyanowski (1923-2005), a celebrated Polish writer and journalist who published several novels and works of non-fiction exploring themes of Polish identity and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boyanowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyanowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Boyanowski 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 Boyanowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 3
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boyanowski
Boyanowski 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,469 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-19 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 16,469 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 14,161 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 Boyanowski 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 | #142,108 | #156,269 | -10.0% |
| Count | 117 | 98 | -16.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boyanowski bearers went from 117 to 98 (-16.2% change). The surname moved down 14,161 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #156,269.
FAQ
Boyanowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boyanowski?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Boyanowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Boyanowski?
Boyanowski ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Boyanowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Boyanowski.
Has Boyanowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boyanowski went from 117 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 19 (-16.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Boyanowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyanowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Boyanowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boyanowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.9%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Boyanowski (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 Boyanowski mean?
A surname of Polish origin, potentially referring to someone from the village of Boyanowo. 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 Boyanowski (0.03 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 Boyanowski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.