Gajewski last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Gajewski is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gajewski.

Meaning of Gajewski

Derived from the Polish word "gaj," referring to someone who lived near or worked in a small grove or wood.

Gajewski, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gajewski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gajewski in America

Gajewski is the 12048th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gajewski surname appeared 2,588 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gajewski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gajewski to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 12048 11217 7.14%
Count 2,588 2,591 -0.12%
Proportion per 100k 0.88 0.96 -8.70%

The history of the last name Gajewski

The surname Gajewski is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "gaj," which means a small oak forest or grove. The suffix "-ewski" indicates a possessive form, suggesting that the name originally referred to someone who owned or lived near a small oak forest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gajewski can be found in the Tczew Land and Mortgage Registers from the 15th century. These historical records document various land transactions and property ownership in the region of Tczew, located in modern-day northern Poland.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Gajewski name appeared in several Polish chronicles and historical documents, often associated with noble families and landowners. One notable figure was Jan Gajewski (1550-1623), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars.

In the 18th century, the Gajewski name gained prominence in the literary and artistic circles of Poland. Ignacy Gajewski (1733-1799) was a renowned Polish painter and engraver, known for his religious and historical works. His son, Hipolit Gajewski (1766-1818), followed in his footsteps and became a respected painter and art teacher.

Moving into the 19th century, the Gajewski name continued to be associated with notable individuals in various fields. Aleksander Gajewski (1826-1892) was a Polish architect and engineer, responsible for designing several prominent buildings in Warsaw, including the Warsaw Philharmonic.

Another figure of note was Franciszek Gajewski (1876-1964), a Polish geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossils and stratigraphy in the Carpathian Mountains.

Throughout history, variations of the Gajewski name have also been recorded, such as Gajowski, Gajowski, and Gajowczyk. These variations often reflect regional dialects or minor spelling differences.

While the Gajewski surname is most prevalent in Poland, it has also been carried by individuals of Polish descent around the world, particularly in areas with significant Polish immigration, such as the United States, Canada, and other parts of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gajewski

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gajewski.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gajewski was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.40% 2,469
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.46% 12
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.47% 38
Hispanic Origin 2.43% 63

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gajewski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.40% 97.41% -2.08%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.46% 0.39% 16.47%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.47% 0.81% 57.89%
Hispanic 2.43% 1.20% 67.77%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gajewski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gajewski, please contact us.

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"Gajewski last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/gajewski-surname-popularity/.

"Gajewski last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/gajewski-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Gajewski last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/gajewski-surname-popularity/.

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