2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Debowski
A Polish surname derived from the word "deb" meaning oak tree or forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Debowski. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Debowski 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Debowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Debowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Debowski
The surname Debowski is of Polish origin, originating in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Polish word "deb," which means "oak tree," suggesting that the name was originally given to someone who lived near or worked with oak trees.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the historical records of the Krakow region of Poland, where it appears in a document from the 15th century. The name was initially spelled "Dembowski," which is a variation of the modern spelling.
In the 16th century, the name Debowski began to spread beyond the Krakow area, appearing in records from other regions of Poland, such as the Poznan and Warsaw areas. This suggests that individuals bearing the name were mobile and possibly involved in trades or professions that required travel.
One notable figure with the surname Debowski was Jan Debowski (1549-1618), a prominent Polish nobleman and military leader who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was instrumental in defending the city of Riga against Swedish forces in 1601.
Another historical figure with the Debowski surname was Katarzyna Debowska (1698-1771), a Polish noblewoman and philanthropist who founded several schools and orphanages in the Krakow region during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the Debowski name appeared in the records of Polish immigrants to the United States, particularly in the cities of Chicago and Detroit, where Polish communities were established.
One notable American with the Debowski surname was Stanley Debowski (1890-1964), a Polish-American entrepreneur and inventor who held several patents for industrial machinery used in the automotive industry.
Another notable figure with the Debowski name was Maria Debowska (1912-2001), a Polish writer and journalist who published several novels and collections of short stories in the mid-20th century, exploring themes of Polish identity and the impact of World War II on her country.
Overall, the surname Debowski has a rich history rooted in the Polish language and culture, reflecting the geographic origins and occupations of its earliest bearers, as well as the mobility and accomplishments of notable individuals who carried the name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Debowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Debowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Debowski 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 Debowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Debowski
Debowski 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
+27 bearers (+23.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 13,339 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-25 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,680 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | +27 bearers (+23.5%) | Up 13,339 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 22,680 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 Debowski 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 | #121,590 | #144,270 | -18.7% |
| Count | 142 | 117 | -17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Debowski bearers went from 142 to 117 (-17.6% change). The surname moved down 22,680 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #144,270.
FAQ
Debowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Debowski?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Debowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Debowski?
Debowski ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Debowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Debowski.
Has Debowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Debowski went from 142 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 25 (-17.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Debowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Debowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Debowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Debowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Debowski (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 Debowski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "deb" meaning oak tree or forest. 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 Debowski (0.04 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 Debowski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.