2000
#11,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,477
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Czajkowski
Derived from a place name meaning "a person from Czajków" in Poland, referring to several villages by that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,664 Americans carry the last name Czajkowski. That puts it at #12,691 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Czajkowski 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Czajkowski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,662
Census rank
#12,691
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,323 bearers of the surname Czajkowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12691st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Czajkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Czajkowski
The surname Czajkowski originates from Poland, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "czajka," meaning a seagull or a type of small falcon. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for a falconer or someone involved in hunting with birds of prey.
Czajkowski is considered a typical Polish noble surname, indicating that it likely originated among the szlachta, the Polish nobility. The name is sometimes spelled with variations like Czaykowski or Czajkowsky, reflecting its evolution over time and its adaptation in different regions.
One of the earliest known historical references to the Czajkowski name can be found in the Polish Armorial Generale, a collection of noble coats of arms compiled in the 17th century. The Czajkowski family is recorded as belonging to the Jastrzębiec coat of arms, which features a falcon on its crest, further reinforcing the name's connection to falconry.
In the late 18th century, Michał Czajkowski (1804-1886) was a prominent Polish writer, poet, and political activist who actively advocated for Polish independence from Russian rule. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Ukrainian national movement and played a significant role in promoting Ukrainian culture and identity.
Another notable bearer of the Czajkowski surname was Stanisław Kazimierz Czajkowski (1899-1935), a Polish aviator and one of the pioneers of aviation in Poland. He set several aviation records and was instrumental in the development of the Polish aviation industry in the early 20th century.
In the realm of music, Piotr Czajkowski (1892-1972) was a renowned Polish composer and conductor. He is particularly known for his orchestral works, which combined elements of Polish folk music with modern compositional techniques.
Other historical figures with the Czajkowski surname include Józef Czajkowski (1818-1888), a Polish military leader and author who fought in various European conflicts, and Paweł Czajkowski (1867-1938), a Polish-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago and other cities in the United States.
The Czajkowski name can also be found in various historical records and documents from different regions of Poland, reflecting the widespread distribution of this surname across the country over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Czajkowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Czajkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Czajkowski 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 Czajkowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 2,186
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 63
- Two or more races2.0% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Czajkowski
Czajkowski 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
#12,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,441
-36 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 1,036 places
2020
#12,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,323
-118 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,626 | 2,477 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,662 | 2,441 | 0.83 | -36 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 1,036 places |
| 2020 | #12,691 | 2,323 | 0.78 | -118 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 29 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 Czajkowski 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 | #12,662 | #12,691 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,441 | 2,323 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.78 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Czajkowski bearers went from 2,441 to 2,323 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,662 to #12,691.
FAQ
Czajkowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Czajkowski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,664 living Americans carry the surname Czajkowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,662 residents.
How common is Czajkowski?
Czajkowski ranks #12,691 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,323 people with the surname Czajkowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,664), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Czajkowski.
Has Czajkowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Czajkowski went from 2,441 recorded bearers to 2,323. That is a decrease of 118 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,662 to #12,691.
What does the Census say about the background of Czajkowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Czajkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Czajkowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (2,186 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Czajkowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Czajkowski (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 Czajkowski mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "a person from Czajków" in Poland, referring to several villages by that name. 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 Czajkowski (0.78 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 Czajkowski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.