2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bystrek
A Polish surname likely denoting someone of agile or quick-witted characteristics.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Bystrek. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bystrek 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Bystrek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bystrek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bystrek
The surname BYSTREK is of Polish origin, originating from the Silesian region of southwestern Poland in the late 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "bystry," meaning "quick" or "alert," suggesting that the name may have been originally given as a nickname to someone with a sharp mind or reflexes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the 1498 tax records of the town of Bielsko-Biała, where a certain Maciej Bystrek is listed as a landowner. The name also appears in various 16th and 17th century church records and court documents from the surrounding areas, often with slight variations in spelling such as Bystrzek or Bystrzyk.
By the 18th century, the BYSTREK surname had spread to other parts of Poland, particularly to the regions of Lesser Poland and Masovia. Notable individuals bearing this name include Jan Bystrek (1720-1792), a prominent Polish sculptor and woodcarver who created numerous religious works for churches throughout the country.
In the 19th century, as Polish immigrants began to settle in other parts of Europe and North America, the BYSTREK name traveled with them. One such individual was Franciszek Bystrek (1846-1919), a Polish-American farmer and community leader who helped establish the first Polish settlement in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Other notable bearers of the BYSTREK surname include Wojciech Bystrek (1892-1964), a Polish economist and professor at the University of Warsaw, and Stanisław Bystrek (1912-1998), a Polish soldier who fought in World War II and later became a respected writer and journalist.
While the BYSTREK name is still most commonly found in Poland, it has also been carried to various parts of the world by Polish immigrants and their descendants, reflecting the rich history and global reach of this distinctive Slavic surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bystrek
Among Census respondents with the surname Bystrek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bystrek 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 Bystrek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bystrek
Bystrek 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
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,283 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 Bystrek 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 | #139,228 | #143,511 | -3.1% |
| Count | 120 | 118 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bystrek bearers went from 120 to 118 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #143,511.
FAQ
Bystrek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bystrek?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Bystrek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Bystrek?
Bystrek ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Bystrek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Bystrek.
Has Bystrek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bystrek went from 120 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Bystrek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bystrek, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bystrek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bystrek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bystrek (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 Bystrek mean?
A Polish surname likely denoting someone of agile or quick-witted characteristics. 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 Bystrek (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 Americans have the surname Bystrek?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.