2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Formanski
A Polish surname derived from the word "forma" meaning shape or form, possibly referring to an ancestor's occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Formanski. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Formanski 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Formanski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Formanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Formanski
The surname Formanski has its origins in Poland, dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "forma," which means "form" or "shape," and the suffix "-nski," which indicates a connection to a place or person. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a specific landform or worked as a shaper or molder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Formanski can be found in the 16th-century records of the town of Bydgoszcz, where a family bearing this surname resided. The name was also present in the nearby village of Formany, which may have served as the inspiration for the surname's spelling.
During the 17th century, the Formanski name appeared in various Polish chronicles and historical documents. Notable figures from this era include Jan Formanski (1610-1678), a renowned painter and architect who contributed to the design of several churches and monasteries in Krakow and Warsaw.
As the Polish nobility gained prominence in the 18th century, the Formanski family produced several notable members. Katarzyna Formanska (1720-1792) was a respected writer and poet, known for her contributions to the Polish Enlightenment movement. Her brother, Andrzej Formanski (1725-1801), was a prominent military commander who served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's army.
In the 19th century, the Formanski name continued to be associated with cultural and intellectual pursuits. Stanisław Formanski (1810-1885) was a renowned linguist and philologist who authored several influential works on the Slavic languages. His contemporaries included Józef Formanski (1815-1890), a celebrated composer and pianist who performed extensively throughout Europe.
One of the most famous individuals bearing the Formanski surname was Wacław Formanski (1875-1964), a pioneering physicist and inventor. He made significant contributions to the development of early radio technology and held numerous patents for his innovations in wireless communication.
Throughout its history, the Formanski name has been associated with a diverse range of professions and achievements, reflecting the surname's Polish heritage and its enduring presence in the annals of Polish culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Formanski
Among Census respondents with the surname Formanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Formanski 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 Formanski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Formanski
Formanski 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+6 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,431 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 3,431 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,670 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 Formanski 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 | #131,379 | #142,049 | -8.1% |
| Count | 129 | 120 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Formanski bearers went from 129 to 120 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #142,049.
FAQ
Formanski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Formanski?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Formanski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Formanski?
Formanski ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Formanski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Formanski.
Has Formanski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Formanski went from 129 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Formanski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Formanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Formanski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Formanski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (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 Formanski (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 Formanski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "forma" meaning shape or form, possibly referring to an ancestor's occupation. 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 Formanski (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 share the surname Formanski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.