2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cielak
A Polish surname derived from the word "cielak" meaning "calf" or "young cow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Cielak. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cielak 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Cielak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cielak, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cielak
The surname CIELAK originates from Poland, with roots dating back to the 15th century. It is a Polish diminutive form of the word "cielę," which means "calf" in English. The suffix "-ak" is a common Polish diminutive ending, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with calves or cattle.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the CIELAK surname can be found in the Polish tax records known as the "Akta Grodzkie" from the 16th century. These records document various individuals with the surname living in the regions of Lesser Poland and Masovia.
In the 17th century, the name CIELAK appeared in several parish records and land ownership documents across various regions of Poland. One notable example is Jan Cielak, a landowner from the village of Lipnica in the Kraków region, who was mentioned in a document from 1642.
During the 18th century, the CIELAK surname gained prominence with the birth of Józef Cielak (1727-1798), a Polish nobleman and military officer who served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army. He was known for his bravery and leadership during the Kościuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794.
Another historical figure bearing the CIELAK surname was Ignacy Cielak (1805-1866), a Polish priest and educator who founded several schools in the Lublin region. He was recognized for his efforts in promoting education and advocating for the rights of the Polish people under the partitions of Poland.
In the 19th century, the CIELAK surname was also found in various regions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which included parts of modern-day Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. One notable individual was Franciszek Cielak (1847-1912), a Polish writer and journalist who wrote extensively about the cultural and political issues of his time.
As the Polish diaspora spread across the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the CIELAK surname traveled with them. For example, Józef Cielak (1870-1942) was a Polish immigrant to the United States who settled in Chicago and became a prominent figure in the city's Polish community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cielak
Among Census respondents with the surname Cielak, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cielak 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 Cielak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cielak
Cielak 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-14 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,462 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 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 10,462 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 Cielak 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 | #155,682 | -7.2% |
| Count | 114 | 100 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cielak bearers went from 114 to 100 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 10,462 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #155,682.
FAQ
Cielak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cielak?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Cielak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Cielak?
Cielak ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Cielak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Cielak.
Has Cielak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cielak went from 114 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Cielak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cielak, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%). 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 Cielak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cielak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (14.0%). 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 Cielak (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 Cielak mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "cielak" meaning "calf" or "young cow". 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 Cielak (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 are called Cielak?
You can see how many people are called Cielak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.