2000
#44,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 455
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Kijowski
A Polish surname derived from the word "kij" meaning staff or stick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 490 Americans carry the last name Kijowski. That puts it at #52,477 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 699,499 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kijowski 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
490
1 in 699,499
Census rank
#52,477
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
427
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 427 bearers of the surname Kijowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52477th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kijowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kijowski
The surname KIJOWSKI is of Polish origin, and it dates back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the word "kij," which means "stick" or "staff" in Polish. The name was likely originally given to someone who carried a walking stick or a staff as a distinctive feature or as part of their occupation.
KIJOWSKI was first recorded in the medieval Polish territory of Masovia, located in the central region of present-day Poland. The name appeared in various records and documents from the 13th to the 15th centuries, including local land registers, court records, and parish registers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KIJOWSKI name is in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Płock, which mentions a certain "Jan Kijowski" as a landowner in the region. Another notable early reference is in the 1465 Liber Beneficiorum, a historical document that lists the names of clergymen and their benefices, which includes a "Stanisław Kijowski" as a parish priest in the village of Chociwel.
In the 16th century, the KIJOWSKI name began to spread beyond Masovia to other regions of Poland. One notable figure from this period was Jan Kijowski (c. 1520-1591), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Livonian War against Russia.
As the name became more widespread, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Kijowsky," "Kijowsky," and "Kijewsky." These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and language changes over time.
Other notable individuals with the surname KIJOWSKI include:
1. Andrzej Kijowski (1914-1985), a Polish writer, playwright, and literary critic known for his works that explored existential themes and the human condition.
2. Zygmunt Kijowski (1871-1941), a Polish architect who designed several notable buildings in Warsaw, including the Zachęta National Gallery of Art.
3. Tadeusz Kijowski (1904-1968), a Polish painter and graphic artist known for his landscapes and portraits, and his contributions to the Polish art scene in the mid-20th century.
4. Jan Kijowski (1856-1917), a Polish engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of telecommunications and electrical engineering.
5. Stanisław Kijowski (1919-1994), a Polish film director and screenwriter, best known for his award-winning films such as "The Queen of the Night" and "The Guard."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kijowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kijowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kijowski 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 Kijowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 401
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 11
- Two or more races2.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kijowski
Kijowski 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
#47,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 451
-4 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 2,610 places
2020
#52,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 427
-24 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 5,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,497 | 455 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,107 | 451 | 0.15 | -4 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,610 places |
| 2020 | #52,477 | 427 | 0.14 | -24 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 5,370 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 Kijowski 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 | #47,107 | #52,477 | -11.4% |
| Count | 451 | 427 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.14 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kijowski bearers went from 451 to 427 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 5,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,107 to #52,477.
FAQ
Kijowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kijowski?
Name Census estimates that about 490 living Americans carry the surname Kijowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 699,499 residents.
How common is Kijowski?
Kijowski ranks #52,477 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 427 people with the surname Kijowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (490), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Kijowski.
Has Kijowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kijowski went from 451 recorded bearers to 427. That is a decrease of 24 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #47,107 to #52,477.
What does the Census say about the background of Kijowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kijowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Kijowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (401 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kijowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Kijowski (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 Kijowski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "kij" meaning staff or stick. 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 Kijowski (0.14 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 Kijowski?
You can see how many people have the surname Kijowski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.