2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chelstowski
A surname indicating Polish or Slavic origin and location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Chelstowski. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chelstowski 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Chelstowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chelstowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chelstowski
The surname CHELSTOWSKI is of Polish origin, originating from the region of Chelst, a small village located in the central part of the country during the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "chelist," meaning "boastful" or "bragging," potentially indicating a characteristic trait associated with the earliest bearers of this name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CHELSTOWSKI surname can be found in the parish records of the village of Chelst, dating back to the late 1500s. These records document several families with variations of the spelling, such as CHELSTOWSKY and CHELSTOVSKI, suggesting the name's evolution over time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the CHELSTOWSKI name was Jan CHELSTOWSKI (1620-1692), a prominent Polish nobleman and landowner. He was known for his involvement in local politics and his support for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Swedish invasion of 1655-1660.
Another historical reference to the CHELSTOWSKI surname can be found in the memoirs of Stanislaw CHELSTOWSKI (1753-1832), a Polish military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. His detailed accounts of his experiences during the French campaign in Poland provide valuable insights into the period's military history.
During the 19th century, the CHELSTOWSKI surname gained recognition through the works of Antoni CHELSTOWSKI (1820-1895), a renowned Polish painter and illustrator. His landscapes and portraits captured the essence of Polish culture and rural life, earning him widespread acclaim both within and beyond his homeland.
In the early 20th century, the name CHELSTOWSKI was further popularized by Jadwiga CHELSTOWSKA (1905-1982), a celebrated Polish actress and theater director. Her performances on stages across Europe and her contributions to the development of Polish theater earned her numerous accolades and a lasting legacy in the world of performing arts.
The CHELSTOWSKI surname has also been associated with several geographic locations in Poland, including the village of Chelstowice, which likely derived its name from the same root as the surname itself. Additionally, variations of the name, such as CHELSTOVSKY and CHELSTOWICZ, can be found in historical records from various regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chelstowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Chelstowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Chelstowski 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 Chelstowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chelstowski
Chelstowski 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 3,138 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 Chelstowski 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 | #150,452 | #153,590 | -2.1% |
| Count | 109 | 104 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chelstowski bearers went from 109 to 104 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 3,138 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #153,590.
FAQ
Chelstowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chelstowski?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Chelstowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Chelstowski?
Chelstowski ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Chelstowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Chelstowski.
Has Chelstowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chelstowski went from 109 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Chelstowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chelstowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (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 Chelstowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chelstowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (4.8%), Black (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 Chelstowski (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 Chelstowski mean?
A surname indicating Polish or Slavic origin and location. 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 Chelstowski (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 have the surname Chelstowski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.