2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gosiewski
A surname of Polish origin derived from the word "gościniec" meaning a main road or highway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Gosiewski. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gosiewski 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Gosiewski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gosiewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gosiewski
The surname Gosiewski is of Polish origin, originating in the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "gościnny," meaning hospitable or welcoming. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who owned an inn or guesthouse, or who was known for their hospitality.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries in various regions of Poland, particularly in the areas around Krakow and Lublin. In these records, the name is sometimes spelled slightly differently, such as "Gosiewsky" or "Gosievski."
One notable early bearer of the name was Jan Gosiewski, a Polish nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 16th century. He is mentioned in chronicles for his role in defending the city of Lublin against Swedish invaders during the Polish-Swedish War of 1600-1611.
Another historical figure with this surname was Katarzyna Gosiewska, a Polish noblewoman from the 17th century who was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of the Catholic Church in the region of Greater Poland.
In the 18th century, the name appears in records related to the Polish diaspora, as many Gosiewski families emigrated to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. Franciszek Gosiewski, born in 1725, was a Polish settler in colonial Pennsylvania who is mentioned in local records as one of the earliest Polish immigrants to the area.
The 19th century saw several notable individuals with the Gosiewski surname, including Józef Gosiewski, a Polish writer and poet who was active in the literary circles of Warsaw in the 1850s and 1860s.
Another significant figure was Anna Gosiewska, born in 1835, who was a prominent Polish philanthropist and social activist. She founded several charitable organizations dedicated to improving the lives of poor and working-class families in Warsaw.
While the name Gosiewski is not among the most common Polish surnames, it has a long and rich history, with notable bearers spanning several centuries and various walks of life, from military leaders and noblemen to writers, philanthropists, and early immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gosiewski
Among Census respondents with the surname Gosiewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gosiewski 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 Gosiewski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 115
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gosiewski
Gosiewski 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 711 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 680 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 711 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 680 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 Gosiewski 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 | #142,108 | #142,788 | -0.5% |
| Count | 117 | 119 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gosiewski bearers went from 117 to 119 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 680 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,788.
FAQ
Gosiewski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gosiewski?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Gosiewski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Gosiewski?
Gosiewski ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Gosiewski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Gosiewski.
Has Gosiewski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gosiewski went from 117 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Gosiewski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gosiewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Gosiewski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gosiewski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%), Black (0.8%). 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 Gosiewski (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 Gosiewski mean?
A surname of Polish origin derived from the word "gościniec" meaning a main road or highway. 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 Gosiewski (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 have the last name Gosiewski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Gosiewski is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.