2000
#12,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Dombroski
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "oak forest" or "oak grove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,369 Americans carry the last name Dombroski. That puts it at #13,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dombroski 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
2.4K
1 in 144,683
Census rank
#13,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,066 bearers of the surname Dombroski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dombroski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dombroski
The surname Dombroski is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages in the 11th or 12th century. It is derived from the Polish word "dąbrowa," which means "oak forest." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in an oak forest.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dombroski can be found in various historical documents and records from Poland, such as church registers, land deeds, and tax records. One of the earliest known mentions of the name is in a 15th-century document from the city of Krakow, which refers to a person named Jan Dombroski.
In terms of geographical distribution, the Dombroski surname was most prevalent in the central and eastern regions of Poland, particularly in the areas around Krakow, Warsaw, and Lublin. Over time, the name spread to other parts of the country and beyond, as people migrated and settled in new locations.
During the 19th century, a significant number of individuals with the Dombroski surname emigrated from Poland to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other countries. This diaspora contributed to the further spread and diversification of the name.
Notable individuals with the Dombroski surname include:
1. Jan Dombroski (c. 1450-1520), a Polish nobleman and landowner who played a role in the political affairs of the Kingdom of Poland during the 16th century.
2. Katarzyna Dombroski (1765-1835), a Polish writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and prose during the Enlightenment period.
3. Stanisław Dombroski (1819-1892), a Polish engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early railway systems in Europe.
4. Maria Dombroski (1890-1965), a Polish-American artist and painter known for her landscape paintings and portraiture.
5. Tomasz Dombroski (1928-2012), a Polish-Canadian academic and historian who specialized in the study of Polish immigration to Canada in the 20th century.
While the Dombroski surname may have evolved through various spellings and regional variations over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the ancient oak forests of Poland, where it first emerged as a name associated with those who lived or worked in these woodlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dombroski
Among Census respondents with the surname Dombroski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dombroski 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 Dombroski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 1,956
- Two or more races2.4% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 44
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dombroski
Dombroski 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
#13,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,232
+9 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 841 places
2020
#13,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,066
-166 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 394 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,742 | 2,223 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,583 | 2,232 | 0.76 | +9 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 841 places |
| 2020 | #13,977 | 2,066 | 0.69 | -166 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 394 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 Dombroski 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 | #13,583 | #13,977 | -2.9% |
| Count | 2,232 | 2,066 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.69 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dombroski bearers went from 2,232 to 2,066 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 394 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,583 to #13,977.
FAQ
Dombroski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dombroski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,369 living Americans carry the surname Dombroski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,683 residents.
How common is Dombroski?
Dombroski ranks #13,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,066 people with the surname Dombroski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,369), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Dombroski.
Has Dombroski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dombroski went from 2,232 recorded bearers to 2,066. That is a decrease of 166 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,583 to #13,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Dombroski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dombroski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Dombroski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (1,956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dombroski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Dombroski (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 Dombroski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "oak forest" or "oak grove." 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 Dombroski (0.69 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 Dombroski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.