2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Frankowiak
A Polish habitational surname indicating someone from a place named Franków.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Frankowiak. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frankowiak 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Frankowiak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frankowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frankowiak
The surname FRANKOWIAK originated in Poland during the late Middle Ages. It is a toponymic name derived from the name of a village or town, likely one called Frankowice or a variation thereof. The root of the name is believed to come from the Polish word "frank," meaning a free man or someone exempt from serfdom.
Historical records indicate that the name was present in various Polish regions by the 15th century. One of the earliest documented instances is found in a land registry from the town of Krakow, dated 1482, which mentions a Maciej Frankowiak as a landowner.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname appears in church records and municipal documents across various parts of Poland, particularly in the regions of Greater Poland, Silesia, and Pomerania. Variants such as Frankowicz, Frankowsky, and Frankoviak can also be found in these records.
Notable individuals with the surname FRANKOWIAK throughout history include:
1. Jan Frankowiak (1588-1654), a Polish noble and military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War.
2. Katarzyna Frankowiak (1710-1782), a Polish landowner and philanthropist known for her charitable works in the city of Poznan.
3. Stanisław Frankowiak (1817-1891), a Polish writer and poet who authored several collections of poetry and plays during the Romantic era.
4. Józef Frankowiak (1854-1932), a Polish economist and professor at the University of Warsaw, known for his contributions to the field of agricultural economics.
5. Wanda Frankowiak (1905-1988), a Polish actress and theater director who was a prominent figure in the Polish theater scene during the mid-20th century.
The surname FRANKOWIAK is also associated with various place names in Poland, such as the villages of Frankowice and Frankowiczki, which likely contributed to the formation and spread of the name.
While the surname FRANKOWIAK has its roots in Poland, it has since been adopted by individuals of Polish descent in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with significant Polish communities, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frankowiak
Among Census respondents with the surname Frankowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Frankowiak 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 Frankowiak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frankowiak
Frankowiak 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,088 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,836 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 16,088 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 4,836 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 Frankowiak 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 | #148,347 | #143,511 | 3.3% |
| Count | 111 | 118 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frankowiak bearers went from 111 to 118 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 4,836 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #143,511.
FAQ
Frankowiak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frankowiak?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Frankowiak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Frankowiak?
Frankowiak ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Frankowiak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Frankowiak.
Has Frankowiak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frankowiak went from 111 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 7 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Frankowiak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frankowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (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 Frankowiak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frankowiak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (2.5%), Black (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 Frankowiak (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 Frankowiak mean?
A Polish habitational surname indicating someone from a place named Franków. 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 Frankowiak (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 are called Frankowiak?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Frankowiak, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.