2000
#4,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,873
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Dombrowski
Polish habitational surname derived from any of various places named Dąbrowa, referring to a village in an oak forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,082 Americans carry the last name Dombrowski. That puts it at #5,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dombrowski 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
7.1K
1 in 48,398
Census rank
#5,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,176 bearers of the surname Dombrowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dombrowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dombrowski
The surname Dombrowski originated in Poland. It is a toponymic surname derived from the town of Dąbrowa, which means "oak forest" or "oak grove" in Polish. The name likely originated in the 13th or 14th century, during the era when hereditary surnames began to be adopted in Poland.
The earliest known record of the Dombrowski name dates back to 1390, when a knight named Jakub Dombrowski was mentioned in a document from the city of Kraków. Another early reference is from 1420, when a Jan Dombrowski was listed in a registry of landowners in the village of Dąbrowa near Poznań.
In the 15th century, the Dombrowski family gained prominence as members of the Polish nobility. One notable figure was Piotr Dombrowski (1460-1521), a military commander who fought in the Polish-Teutonic War and later served as a senator in the Polish Senate.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Dombrowski name spread throughout Poland as members of the family migrated to different regions. In 1624, a Mikołaj Dombrowski was recorded as the owner of a estate in the town of Kościerzyna, in the Pomeranian region.
One of the most famous bearers of the Dombrowski name was Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (1755-1818), a Polish general and revolutionary who fought alongside Napoleon Bonaparte. He is remembered for founding the Polish Legions, which played a significant role in the fight for Polish independence.
Another notable figure was Władysław Dombrowski (1832-1907), a Polish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of Eastern Siberia and the Far East. He is credited with discovering several new plant species and published numerous works on his findings.
In the 20th century, Jarosław Dombrowski (1936-2022) was a prominent Polish actor and director who appeared in over 100 films and television productions. He was a recipient of the prestigious Polish Film Award for his lifetime achievement in the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dombrowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Dombrowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dombrowski 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 Dombrowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 5,765
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 178
- Two or more races2.6% · 163
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 45
- Black or African American0.3% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dombrowski
Dombrowski 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
#5,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,676
-197 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 510 places
2020
#5,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,176
-500 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,718 | 6,873 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,228 | 6,676 | 2.26 | -197 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 510 places |
| 2020 | #5,446 | 6,176 | 2.07 | -500 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 218 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 Dombrowski 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 | #5,228 | #5,446 | -4.2% |
| Count | 6,676 | 6,176 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.07 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dombrowski bearers went from 6,676 to 6,176 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 218 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,228 to #5,446.
FAQ
Dombrowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dombrowski?
Name Census estimates that about 7,082 living Americans carry the surname Dombrowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,398 residents.
How common is Dombrowski?
Dombrowski ranks #5,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,176 people with the surname Dombrowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dombrowski.
Has Dombrowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dombrowski went from 6,676 recorded bearers to 6,176. That is a decrease of 500 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,228 to #5,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Dombrowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dombrowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Dombrowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (5,765 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dombrowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Dombrowski (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 Dombrowski mean?
Polish habitational surname derived from any of various places named Dąbrowa, referring to a village in an oak 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 Dombrowski (2.07 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 last name Dombrowski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Dombrowski at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.