2000
#70,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Grodzicki
A Polish surname derived from gród (town) or grodzić (to enclose, fence).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 267 Americans carry the last name Grodzicki. That puts it at #86,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,283,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grodzicki 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
267
1 in 1,283,724
Census rank
#86,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
233
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 233 bearers of the surname Grodzicki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 86153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grodzicki, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grodzicki
The surname Grodzicki originates from Poland, with roots dating back to the 11th century. It is a locational surname derived from the Polish word "gród," meaning a fortified town or castle. The suffix "-icki" indicates a connection to a particular place.
Grodzicki likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a fortified settlement. The name may have been adopted by people who migrated from these fortified towns to other areas but retained their locational association.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grodzicki can be found in a 14th-century document from the town of Krakow, where a merchant named Jan Grodzicki was mentioned. This suggests the name was already established in the region during that time.
In the 16th century, a Polish nobleman named Mikołaj Grodzicki (1510-1570) served as a chamberlain to King Sigismund I the Old. He was known for his diplomatic skills and played a role in negotiating treaties with neighboring states.
During the Polish Renaissance, a poet and translator named Samuel Grodzicki (1564-1637) gained recognition for his works, which included translations of classical Greek and Roman literature into the Polish language.
In the 18th century, a Polish military commander named Franciszek Grodzicki (1734-1802) distinguished himself in the Kościuszko Uprising against the partitioning of Poland by Russia, Prussia, and Austria.
Another notable figure was Michał Grodzicki (1766-1835), a Polish painter and engraver who studied in Rome and became known for his portraits and religious works.
As the Grodzicki surname spread throughout Poland over the centuries, it likely underwent minor spelling variations due to regional dialects and transcription errors, but the core meaning and origin remained tied to fortified settlements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grodzicki
Among Census respondents with the surname Grodzicki, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grodzicki 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 Grodzicki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 229
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grodzicki
Grodzicki 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
#74,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 261
+3 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 3,462 places
2020
#86,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 233
-28 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 12,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #70,679 | 258 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #74,141 | 261 | 0.09 | +3 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 3,462 places |
| 2020 | #86,153 | 233 | 0.08 | -28 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 12,012 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 Grodzicki 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 | #74,141 | #86,153 | -16.2% |
| Count | 261 | 233 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grodzicki bearers went from 261 to 233 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 12,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #74,141 to #86,153.
FAQ
Grodzicki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grodzicki?
Name Census estimates that about 267 living Americans carry the surname Grodzicki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,283,724 residents.
How common is Grodzicki?
Grodzicki ranks #86,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 233 people with the surname Grodzicki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (267), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Grodzicki.
Has Grodzicki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grodzicki went from 261 recorded bearers to 233. That is a decrease of 28 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #74,141 to #86,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Grodzicki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grodzicki, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (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 Grodzicki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grodzicki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (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 Grodzicki (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 Grodzicki mean?
A Polish surname derived from gród (town) or grodzić (to enclose, fence). 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 Grodzicki (0.08 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 Grodzicki?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.