2000
#66,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Czerniawski
A surname of Polish origin meaning "black" or "dark-complexioned".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 266 Americans carry the last name Czerniawski. That puts it at #86,457 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,288,550 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Czerniawski 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
266
1 in 1,288,550
Census rank
#86,457
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
232
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 232 bearers of the surname Czerniawski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 86457th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Czerniawski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Czerniawski
The surname CZERNIAWSKI is a Polish name that dates back to the 15th century. It originated in the region of Mazovia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Poland. The name is derived from the Polish word "czerniawa," which means "a dark-skinned person" or "a swarthy person."
The earliest known record of the CZERNIAWSKI surname appears in a document from the town of Czerniawa, located in the Mazovian Voivodeship. This document, dated 1427, mentions a man named Piotr CZERNIAWSKI, who was a landowner in the area.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the CZERNIAWSKI family was prominent in the Polish nobility. Several members of the family held important positions in the government and the military. One notable figure was Jan CZERNIAWSKI (1570-1638), who served as a colonel in the Polish army during the Smolensk War against Russia.
In the 18th century, the CZERNIAWSKI name gained recognition in the field of literature. Franciszek CZERNIAWSKI (1712-1785) was a Polish poet and dramatist who wrote several plays and satires that were popular during his time.
Another significant figure was Aleksander CZERNIAWSKI (1824-1891), a Polish engineer and inventor who is credited with developing one of the first practical designs for a submarine. His submarine, called the "Czerniawski Towing Submersible," was successfully tested in the River Vistula in 1862.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the CZERNIAWSKI name spread beyond Poland as members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable emigrant was Józef CZERNIAWSKI (1856-1927), who settled in the United States and became a prominent politician and lawyer in the state of Illinois.
Other notable individuals with the CZERNIAWSKI surname include Stanisław CZERNIAWSKI (1899-1965), a Polish artist known for his landscape paintings, and Mieczysław CZERNIAWSKI (1919-1998), a Polish-American mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of game theory.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Czerniawski
Among Census respondents with the surname Czerniawski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Czerniawski 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 Czerniawski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 217
- Two or more races3.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Czerniawski
Czerniawski 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
#73,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 263
-13 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 6,788 places
2020
#86,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 232
-31 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 12,791 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,878 | 276 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,666 | 263 | 0.09 | -13 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 6,788 places |
| 2020 | #86,457 | 232 | 0.08 | -31 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 12,791 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 Czerniawski 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 | #73,666 | #86,457 | -17.4% |
| Count | 263 | 232 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Czerniawski bearers went from 263 to 232 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 12,791 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,666 to #86,457.
FAQ
Czerniawski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Czerniawski?
Name Census estimates that about 266 living Americans carry the surname Czerniawski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,288,550 residents.
How common is Czerniawski?
Czerniawski ranks #86,457 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 232 people with the surname Czerniawski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (266), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Czerniawski.
Has Czerniawski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Czerniawski went from 263 recorded bearers to 232. That is a decrease of 31 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #73,666 to #86,457.
What does the Census say about the background of Czerniawski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Czerniawski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Czerniawski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (217 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Czerniawski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Czerniawski (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 Czerniawski mean?
A surname of Polish origin meaning "black" or "dark-complexioned". 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 Czerniawski (0.08 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 Czerniawski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.