2000
#34,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 630
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Klonowski
A surname of Polish origin denoting someone from a village named Klonów.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 710 Americans carry the last name Klonowski. That puts it at #38,482 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 482,753 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klonowski 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
710
1 in 482,753
Census rank
#38,482
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
619
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 619 bearers of the surname Klonowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38482nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klonowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klonowski
The surname Klonowski originated in Poland, and its earliest known use dates back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Polish word "klon," which means "maple tree," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname may have lived near a maple grove or worked with maple wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Klonowski name appears in the 1564 Kraków Land Records, which mentions a certain Jan Klonowski, a landowner from the village of Klonów near the city of Radom. This connection to the place name Klonów further reinforces the surname's association with maple trees.
In the 17th century, the Klonowski family gained prominence in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Michał Klonowski (1599-1673) was a notable Catholic priest and writer, known for his religious works and sermons. He served as the canon of Płock and later became the bishop of Chełmno.
During the 18th century, the Klonowski surname spread across various regions of Poland. One notable figure from this period was Tomasz Klonowski (1720-1789), a Polish nobleman and military officer who fought in the Wars of the Polish Succession and the Seven Years' War.
In the 19th century, the Klonowski family contributed to the Polish literature and arts scene. Aleksander Klonowski (1811-1868) was a renowned poet and playwright, known for his romantic verses and patriotic themes. His contemporary, Kazimierz Klonowski (1825-1892), was a celebrated painter and illustrator, recognized for his landscapes and historical scenes.
As the Polish diaspora spread across the world in the 20th century, the Klonowski name traveled to various countries. One notable figure from this era was Marcin Klonowski (1910-1988), a Polish-American artist and sculptor who gained recognition for his abstract works and public installations in the United States.
Throughout its history, the Klonowski surname has been associated with various professions, including landowners, clergy, military officers, artists, and writers. Its origins can be traced back to the medieval era, when it was likely derived from the Polish word for "maple tree" or the place name Klonów, reflecting the family's ties to the natural environment or a specific geographic location.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klonowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Klonowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Klonowski 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 Klonowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 596
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 11
- Two or more races1.0% · 6
- Black or African American0.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klonowski
Klonowski 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
#33,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 670
+40 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 130 places
2020
#38,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 619
-51 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 4,541 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,071 | 630 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,941 | 670 | 0.23 | +40 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 130 places |
| 2020 | #38,482 | 619 | 0.21 | -51 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 4,541 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 Klonowski 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 | #33,941 | #38,482 | -13.4% |
| Count | 670 | 619 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.21 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klonowski bearers went from 670 to 619 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 4,541 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,941 to #38,482.
FAQ
Klonowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klonowski?
Name Census estimates that about 710 living Americans carry the surname Klonowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 482,753 residents.
How common is Klonowski?
Klonowski ranks #38,482 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 619 people with the surname Klonowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (710), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Klonowski.
Has Klonowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klonowski went from 670 recorded bearers to 619. That is a decrease of 51 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,941 to #38,482.
What does the Census say about the background of Klonowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klonowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Klonowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (596 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klonowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Klonowski (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 Klonowski mean?
A surname of Polish origin denoting someone from a village named Klonów. 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 Klonowski (0.21 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 Klonowski?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Klonowski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.