2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grochowalski
A Polish surname derived from the word "groch" meaning "pea" or "peas", likely referring to someone who grew or sold peas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Grochowalski. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grochowalski 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Grochowalski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grochowalski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grochowalski
The surname Grochowalski is of Polish origin, first appearing in historical records around the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "groch," meaning "pea," and the suffix "-owski," which indicates a place of origin. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where peas were grown or traded.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grochowalski is found in the 1563 parish records of the town of Krakow, where a certain Jan Grochowalski is mentioned. In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Polish nobility, with a Tomasz Grochowalski being granted a coat of arms in 1642.
The Grochowalski name is also linked to several notable individuals throughout history. In the late 18th century, Franciszek Grochowalski (1732-1805) was a prominent Polish philosopher and educator who served as the rector of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Stanisław Grochowalski (1856-1928) was a 19th-century Polish painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
Another significant figure with the Grochowalski surname was Ignacy Grochowalski (1892-1970), a Polish soldier and military commander who fought in both World War I and World War II. He was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration, for his bravery and leadership during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
In the 20th century, Henryk Grochowalski (1914-1999) was a renowned Polish architect and urban planner who was responsible for the design of several notable buildings and urban development projects in Warsaw and other Polish cities.
The Grochowalski name can also be found in historical records from other regions of Poland, such as the village of Grochowalsk in the Masovian Voivodeship, which may have been the place of origin for some branches of the family. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Grochowski or Grochowolski, have been documented over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grochowalski
Among Census respondents with the surname Grochowalski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grochowalski 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 Grochowalski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grochowalski
Grochowalski 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,800 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,454 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 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 7,800 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 2,454 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 Grochowalski 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 | #156,044 | #153,590 | 1.6% |
| Count | 104 | 104 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grochowalski bearers went from 104 to 104 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 2,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #153,590.
FAQ
Grochowalski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grochowalski?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Grochowalski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Grochowalski?
Grochowalski ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Grochowalski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Grochowalski.
Has Grochowalski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grochowalski went from 104 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Grochowalski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grochowalski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Grochowalski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grochowalski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Grochowalski (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 Grochowalski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "groch" meaning "pea" or "peas", likely referring to someone who grew or sold peas. 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 Grochowalski (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 common is the surname Grochowalski?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Grochowalski is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.