2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kierzkowski
A Polish occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold wooden handles or shafts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Kierzkowski. 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 Kierzkowski 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 Kierzkowski 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 Kierzkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kierzkowski
The surname Kierzkowski originates from Poland, with its earliest known references dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "kierzek," which means "a small stick" or "a small staff." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who carried a small stick or staff, perhaps as part of their occupation or trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kierzkowski surname can be found in the archives of the Archdiocese of Poznan, Poland, where a certain Jan Kierzkowski was mentioned in a document dated 1587. This archival record provides valuable insight into the historical presence of the name in the region.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Kierzkowski surname was Stanislaw Kierzkowski (1622-1691), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian who served as a professor of theology at the University of Krakow. His scholarly works and contributions to the academic community during that era have been well-documented.
Another prominent individual with the Kierzkowski surname was Michal Kierzkowski (1745-1809), a Polish military officer who served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's army. He participated in various military campaigns during the latter part of the 18th century, including the Kosciuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Kierzkowski can be found in various historical records from the region, including church registers and land ownership documents. One notable figure was Franciszek Kierzkowski (1819-1892), a Polish landowner and philanthropist who helped establish several schools and orphanages in his local community.
In the early 20th century, Wladyslaw Kierzkowski (1877-1946) was a prominent Polish lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Polish Sejm (parliament) during the interwar period. He was actively involved in the country's political affairs and advocated for various legal reforms.
While the name Kierzkowski has its roots in Poland, it has also been carried by individuals of Polish descent who have settled in other parts of the world over the centuries, contributing to the name's global spread and diversity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kierzkowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kierzkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kierzkowski 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 Kierzkowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 103
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kierzkowski
Kierzkowski 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+21 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,409 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-22 bearers (-17.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,260 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 10,409 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-17.1%) | Down 20,260 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 Kierzkowski 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 | #131,379 | #151,639 | -15.4% |
| Count | 129 | 107 | -17.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kierzkowski bearers went from 129 to 107 (-17.1% change). The surname moved down 20,260 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #151,639.
FAQ
Kierzkowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kierzkowski?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Kierzkowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Kierzkowski?
Kierzkowski 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 Kierzkowski. 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 Kierzkowski.
Has Kierzkowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kierzkowski went from 129 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Kierzkowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kierzkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and 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 Kierzkowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kierzkowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Black (0.9%), 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 Kierzkowski (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 Kierzkowski mean?
A Polish occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold wooden handles or shafts. 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 Kierzkowski (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 common is the surname Kierzkowski?
Find out how many people are called Kierzkowski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.