2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Cislak
A surname derived from the Polish word for "thistle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Cislak. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cislak 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Cislak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cislak, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cislak
The surname Cislak is of Polish origin, deriving from the region of Cieszyn Silesia in southern Poland. It likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century during the period of Polish settlement and establishment of villages in that area. The name is believed to have originated from the Old Polish word "cisla," meaning a woodcutter or carpenter, indicating that the earliest bearers of the surname may have been involved in forestry or woodworking trades.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cislak surname can be found in the Liber Beneficiorum, a 15th-century manuscript documenting church benefices in the Archdiocese of Gniezno. This suggests that the name was already well-established in Poland by the late medieval period. Another early reference is found in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of historical records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where a certain Jan Cislak is mentioned in an entry dated 1564.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname appears to have spread across various regions of Poland, with notable bearers including Wojciech Cislak (c. 1580-1648), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian, and Jakub Cislak (c. 1620-1690), a renowned Polish painter known for his religious works.
In the 18th century, the Cislak surname gained prominence with the birth of Franciszek Cislak (1725-1809), a Polish military officer who served in the armies of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and later in the Napoleonic Wars. He was recognized for his bravery and leadership during several battles.
Another notable individual was Jan Cislak (1834-1919), a Polish-American journalist and activist who played a significant role in the Polish diaspora community in the United States. He founded several Polish-language newspapers and organizations, advocating for the rights and cultural preservation of Polish immigrants.
The 19th century also saw the birth of Józef Cislak (1879-1944), a Polish artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits. His works are displayed in several museums and galleries across Poland.
While the Cislak surname is primarily concentrated in Poland, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of Europe and the Americas, likely due to migration patterns over the centuries. However, the name's origins can be firmly traced back to the historical regions of southern Poland, where it emerged as a occupational surname reflecting the forestry and woodworking trades of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cislak
Among Census respondents with the surname Cislak, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Cislak 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 Cislak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 99
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cislak
Cislak 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,015 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-14 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,804 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 19,015 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 9,804 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 Cislak 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 | #146,201 | #156,005 | -6.7% |
| Count | 113 | 99 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cislak bearers went from 113 to 99 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 9,804 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #156,005.
FAQ
Cislak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cislak?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Cislak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Cislak?
Cislak ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Cislak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Cislak.
Has Cislak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cislak went from 113 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Cislak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cislak, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Cislak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cislak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Cislak (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 Cislak mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word for "thistle". 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 Cislak (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 Cislak?
You can see how many people have the last name Cislak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.