2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Josefowicz
A Polish surname derived from the given name Josef/Joseph.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Josefowicz. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Josefowicz 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Josefowicz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Josefowicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Josefowicz
The surname "JOSEFOWICZ" has its origins in Poland, tracing back to the 18th century. It is a Polish patronymic surname, derived from the personal name "Józef," which is the Polish form of the Hebrew name "Joseph." The suffix "-owicz" means "son of," indicating that the name originally referred to the son of someone named Józef.
The name is believed to have originated in the regions of Galicia and Silesia, which were parts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 18th century. It is possible that the name has roots in the Yiddish language, as the Jewish population in these regions often adopted Polish surnames with the "-owicz" suffix.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "JOSEFOWICZ" can be found in the records of the Galician town of Tarnów, where a certain Jan Josefowicz was mentioned in a document from 1765. Another early reference is in the birth records of the city of Lviv (then part of the Austrian Empire), where a Michał Josefowicz was born in 1782.
During the 19th century, the name began to spread across various parts of the Polish territories, as well as neighboring countries like Ukraine and Belarus. Some notable individuals bearing the surname "JOSEFOWICZ" include:
1. Franciszek Josefowicz (1823-1892), a Polish painter and art teacher from Kraków.
2. Aleksander Josefowicz (1860-1931), a Polish-Belarusian lawyer and political activist who advocated for Belarusian independence.
3. Halina Josefowicz (1892-1976), a Polish-American violinist and music educator who taught at the New England Conservatory of Music.
4. Leila Josefowicz (born 1977), a Canadian-American violinist of Polish descent, known for her performances of contemporary works.
5. Michał Josefowicz (born 1986), a Polish professional tennis player who has represented Poland in the Davis Cup.
While the name "JOSEFOWICZ" is not as common as some other Polish surnames, it has a rich history and can be traced back to various regions of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and its neighboring territories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Josefowicz
Among Census respondents with the surname Josefowicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Josefowicz 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 Josefowicz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Josefowicz
Josefowicz appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,405 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 Josefowicz 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 | #151,639 | 2.8% |
| Count | 104 | 107 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Josefowicz bearers went from 104 to 107 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #151,639.
FAQ
Josefowicz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Josefowicz?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Josefowicz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Josefowicz?
Josefowicz ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Josefowicz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Josefowicz.
Has Josefowicz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Josefowicz went from 104 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Josefowicz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Josefowicz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Black (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 Josefowicz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Josefowicz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (4.7%), Black (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 Josefowicz (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 Josefowicz mean?
A Polish surname derived from the given name Josef/Joseph. 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 Josefowicz (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 are called Josefowicz?
Find out how many people have the last name Josefowicz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.