2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Cichonski
A Polish surname indicating a connection to the chicory plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Cichonski. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cichonski 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Cichonski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cichonski, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cichonski
The surname CICHONSKI is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "cichon," which means "quiet" or "silent." This name is believed to have originated in the 14th century in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Poland.
The earliest known record of the name CICHONSKI appears in a document from the town of Opole, dated 1378, where a certain Jan Cichonski is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name was already established among the local nobility or gentry at that time.
In the 16th century, the CICHONSKI name can be found in various historical records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, such as court documents and land registers. One notable bearer of this name was Piotr Cichonski (1525-1599), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought against the Teutonic Knights.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the CICHONSKI name spread throughout other regions of Poland, including the areas around Krakow, Poznan, and Warsaw. Some prominent individuals with this surname from this period include Jan Cichonski (1670-1737), a Polish poet and writer, and Andrzej Cichonski (1749-1822), a Catholic priest and educator.
In the 19th century, the CICHONSKI name became more widely known due to the achievements of several individuals. One such person was Stanislaw Cichonski (1815-1876), a Polish mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of geometry.
Another notable figure was Kazimierz Cichonski (1887-1942), a Polish military officer and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the United States during World War II. He played a crucial role in securing support for the Polish resistance against the Nazi occupation.
Other individuals with the surname CICHONSKI who have left their mark on history include Józef Cichonski (1881-1939), a Polish politician and lawyer; Henryk Cichonski (1912-1993), a Polish writer and journalist; and Krzysztof Cichonski (born 1944), a Polish film director and screenwriter.
While the CICHONSKI name is undoubtedly of Polish origin, it has also been adopted by individuals of other nationalities over time, particularly in countries with significant Polish communities, such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cichonski
Among Census respondents with the surname Cichonski, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cichonski 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 Cichonski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 114
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cichonski
Cichonski 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+4 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,935 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-16 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +4 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 4,935 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 16,021 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 Cichonski 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 | #128,249 | #144,270 | -12.5% |
| Count | 133 | 117 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cichonski bearers went from 133 to 117 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 16,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #144,270.
FAQ
Cichonski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cichonski?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Cichonski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Cichonski?
Cichonski ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Cichonski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Cichonski.
Has Cichonski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cichonski went from 133 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Cichonski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cichonski, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Cichonski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cichonski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Cichonski (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 Cichonski mean?
A Polish surname indicating a connection to the chicory plant. 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 Cichonski (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 common is the surname Cichonski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Cichonski at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.