2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Glowiak
A Polish surname derived from the word "głowia" meaning "charcoal burner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Glowiak. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glowiak 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Glowiak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glowiak
The surname Glowiak originates from Poland and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "głowa," which means "head" or "leader." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname for someone who held a position of authority or leadership within a community.
In the early days, the name was spelled in various ways, including Głowiak, Głowjak, and Głowiok. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time. The name was primarily found in the regions of Greater Poland, Silesia, and Pomerania.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Glowiak can be found in a 16th-century land registry from the town of Poznań, where a certain Maciej Glowiak was listed as a landowner. Another notable early reference is in the church records of the parish of Strzegom, where a family by the name of Głowiak was mentioned in the late 17th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Glowiak:
1. Jan Glowiak (1556-1623), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian, known for his work in establishing schools and educating the youth in the city of Kraków.
2. Katarzyna Głowiak (1681-1754), a Polish noblewoman and landowner from the village of Gołuchów, renowned for her philanthropic efforts and support of local churches and schools.
3. Franciszek Głowiak (1788-1862), a Polish military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent figure in the November Uprising against Russian rule.
4. Józef Głowiak (1862-1932), a Polish artist and painter, best known for his landscape paintings depicting the countryside of his native Pomerania region.
5. Wanda Głowiak (1917-2003), a Polish actress and theater director who performed on stages across Europe and was recognized for her contributions to the development of modern Polish theater.
While the name Glowiak has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, it remains most prevalent in its country of origin and the surrounding regions of Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glowiak
Among Census respondents with the surname Glowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Glowiak 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 Glowiak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 114
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glowiak
Glowiak 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,468 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+15 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,684 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,468 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 14,684 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 Glowiak 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 | #159,712 | #145,028 | 9.2% |
| Count | 101 | 116 | 14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glowiak bearers went from 101 to 116 (+14.9% change). The surname moved up 14,684 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #145,028.
FAQ
Glowiak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glowiak?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Glowiak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Glowiak?
Glowiak ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Glowiak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Glowiak.
Has Glowiak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glowiak went from 101 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 15 (+14.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Glowiak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are 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 Glowiak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glowiak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), 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 Glowiak (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 Glowiak mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "głowia" meaning "charcoal burner." 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 Glowiak (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 Glowiak?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.