2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Goleski
A Polish surname derived from the noun "gołek", meaning hummock or hillock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Goleski. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goleski 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Goleski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goleski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goleski
The surname GOLESKI has its origins in Poland and dates back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "gol," which means "bald" or "bare." The name likely referred to a person who was bald or had a distinct lack of hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GOLESKI can be found in a document from the town of Poznan, dated 1487. The document mentions a certain "Jan Goleski," who was a landowner in the region.
In the 16th century, the GOLESKI name appeared in various records across the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, particularly in the areas of Krakow and Warsaw. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as "Golesky" or "Goleski."
A notable figure with the surname GOLESKI was Marcin Goleski (1540-1619), a Polish nobleman and military commander who served under King Sigismund III Vasa. He played a crucial role in the Polish-Swedish War of 1617-1618.
Another prominent individual was Katarzyna Goleski (1680-1754), a Polish poet and writer who gained recognition for her works in the Baroque literary tradition. Her poetry collection, "Wiersze Wybrane" (Selected Poems), was published posthumously in 1762.
In the 18th century, the GOLESKI name appeared in various genealogical records from the Podlasie region of eastern Poland. One such record from 1743 mentions a family of landowners named GOLESKI in the village of Bialystok.
A notable figure from this period was Jan Goleski (1715-1788), a Polish historian and author who wrote extensively about the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. His seminal work, "Historia Polski" (History of Poland), was published in 1775.
Another individual of note was Stanislawa Goleski (1820-1891), a Polish activist and advocate for women's rights. She founded one of the first organizations dedicated to promoting educational opportunities for women in the Polish territories.
As the GOLESKI name spread throughout Poland and into neighboring regions, it also appeared in various forms, such as "Goleski," "Golesky," or "Goleski." The name has maintained its Polish roots and continues to be a prominent surname in Poland and among Polish diaspora communities around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goleski
Among Census respondents with the surname Goleski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Goleski 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 Goleski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goleski
Goleski 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,012 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,834 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 14,012 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,834 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 Goleski 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 | #153,769 | #150,935 | 1.8% |
| Count | 106 | 108 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goleski bearers went from 106 to 108 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,834 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #150,935.
FAQ
Goleski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goleski?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Goleski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Goleski?
Goleski ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Goleski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Goleski.
Has Goleski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goleski went from 106 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Goleski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goleski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Goleski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goleski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Goleski (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 Goleski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the noun "gołek", meaning hummock or hillock. 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 Goleski (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 Americans have the surname Goleski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.