2000
#10,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,699
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Dabrowski
Polish topographic surname derived from a place name meaning "oak forest," or a habitational name from several places called Dąbrowa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,884 Americans carry the last name Dabrowski. That puts it at #11,903 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,847 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dabrowski 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 Dabrowski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,847
Census rank
#11,903
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,515 bearers of the surname Dabrowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11903rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dabrowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dabrowski
The surname Dabrowski originates from Poland and can be traced back to the medieval era. It derives from the Polish word "dabr" or "dab," meaning an oak tree, combined with the possessive suffix "-owski." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone living near an oak forest or associated with the oak trade.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Dabrowski name can be found in the Polish Armorial Compendium, also known as the "Armorial Generale," compiled in the 16th century. This document lists various Polish noble families, including the Dabrowski clan, indicating their prominence during that period.
In the 17th century, the Dabrowski name appears in various historical records, such as land ownership documents and military records. One notable figure was Stanislaw Dabrowski (1635-1701), a Polish military commander who fought against the Swedish invasion during the Deluge.
During the 18th century, the Dabrowski name gained further recognition with Jan Henryk Dabrowski (1755-1818), a Polish revolutionary and military leader. He commanded the Polish Legions during the Napoleonic Wars and is celebrated as a national hero in Poland.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Jaroslaw Dabrowski (1836-1871), a Polish writer and poet who was part of the "Ukrainian School" literary movement. His works often depicted the lives of Ukrainian peasants and the beauty of the Ukrainian landscape.
In the 20th century, Marian Dabrowski (1889-1975) was a Polish physicist and chemist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. He discovered the element protactinium and was instrumental in the development of nuclear energy in Poland.
Throughout history, variations of the Dabrowski name have appeared, such as Dąbrowski, Dąbrowski, and Dąbrowsky, reflecting regional differences in spelling and pronunciation. Additionally, some bearers of the name may have migrated to other countries, leading to further variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dabrowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Dabrowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dabrowski 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 Dabrowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 2,377
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 81
- Two or more races1.1% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dabrowski
Dabrowski 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
#11,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,877
+178 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 209 places
2020
#11,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,515
-362 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 852 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,842 | 2,699 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,051 | 2,877 | 0.98 | +178 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 209 places |
| 2020 | #11,903 | 2,515 | 0.84 | -362 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 852 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 Dabrowski 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 | #11,051 | #11,903 | -7.7% |
| Count | 2,877 | 2,515 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.84 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dabrowski bearers went from 2,877 to 2,515 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 852 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,051 to #11,903.
FAQ
Dabrowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dabrowski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,884 living Americans carry the surname Dabrowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,847 residents.
How common is Dabrowski?
Dabrowski ranks #11,903 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,515 people with the surname Dabrowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,884), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Dabrowski.
Has Dabrowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dabrowski went from 2,877 recorded bearers to 2,515. That is a decrease of 362 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,051 to #11,903.
What does the Census say about the background of Dabrowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dabrowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Dabrowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (2,377 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dabrowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Dabrowski (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 Dabrowski mean?
Polish topographic surname derived from a place name meaning "oak forest," or a habitational name from several places called Dąbrowa. 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 Dabrowski (0.84 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 share the surname Dabrowski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.