2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Glowaski
A Polish locational surname indicating an ancestral origin near a forest clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Glowaski. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glowaski 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Glowaski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glowaski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glowaski
The surname Glowaski is of Polish origin, deriving from the Polish word "głowa," meaning "head." It is believed to have emerged in the 14th century as a descriptive surname, possibly referring to an ancestor's physical characteristic or occupation related to the head.
During the Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from nicknames or occupations. In the case of Glowaski, it may have been given to an individual with a distinctive head shape or size, or someone involved in activities such as hat-making or head-related trades.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Glowaski can be traced back to the 15th century in various Polish historical documents. One notable mention is found in the Książęca Księga Sądowa Miasta Krakowa (The Princely Court Book of the City of Krakow) from 1456, which references a certain Jan Glowaski.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in several regional records, including the Metryka Koronna (Crown Metrica) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A notable bearer of the name during this period was Mikołaj Glowaski, a prominent merchant from the city of Gdańsk, who lived between 1520 and 1587.
As the centuries passed, the Glowaski surname spread throughout different regions of Poland, with various spellings and variations emerging, such as Głowacki, Głowaczewski, and Głowaczyk. One notable figure was Marian Głowacki (1834-1919), a Polish painter and art critic known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
In the 19th century, the name gained wider recognition with the birth of Aleksander Głowacki (1847-1912), a renowned Polish writer and dramatist better known by his pen name, Bolesław Prus. His works, such as "The Doll" and "The Outpost," are considered masterpieces of Polish literature.
Another prominent individual with the surname Glowaski was Henryk Głowacki (1909-1980), a Polish actor and theater director who gained fame for his performances in numerous plays and films during the mid-20th century.
Wiesław Głowacki (1949-2019) was a Polish journalist and writer, known for his works on social and political issues, as well as his contributions to various newspapers and magazines.
Throughout history, the Glowaski surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, writers, merchants, and professionals, all contributing to the rich tapestry of Polish culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glowaski
Among Census respondents with the surname Glowaski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Glowaski 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 Glowaski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glowaski
Glowaski 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-15 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,831 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 23,831 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 2,127 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 Glowaski 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 | #152,628 | #154,755 | -1.4% |
| Count | 107 | 102 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glowaski bearers went from 107 to 102 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 2,127 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #154,755.
FAQ
Glowaski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glowaski?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Glowaski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Glowaski?
Glowaski ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Glowaski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Glowaski.
Has Glowaski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glowaski went from 107 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Glowaski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glowaski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Glowaski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glowaski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Glowaski (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 Glowaski mean?
A Polish locational surname indicating an ancestral origin near a forest clearing. 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 Glowaski (0.03 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 Glowaski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Glowaski is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.