Find out how popular the last name Kowalewski is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kowalewski.

Kowalewski, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kowalewski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kowalewski in America

Kowalewski is the 11568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kowalewski surname appeared 2,718 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kowalewski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kowalewski to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kowalewski

The surname KOWALEWSKI originated in Poland and is a form of the Polish occupational name for a blacksmith or metalworker. It derives from the Polish word "kowal" meaning "blacksmith" or "smith," combined with the Polish possessive suffix "-ewski." This surname is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century, when hereditary surnames became more widespread in Poland.

KOWALEWSKI is a relatively common surname in Poland, and it can be found in historical records and documents from various regions of the country. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Jan Kowalewski, a blacksmith who lived in the town of Poznań in the 16th century, as mentioned in the town's records from that time.

Another notable bearer of the KOWALEWSKI name was Jozef Kowalewski, a Polish linguist and orientalist who lived from 1800 to 1878. He made significant contributions to the study of Mongolian and Manchu languages and is considered one of the founders of Mongolian studies in Europe.

The surname KOWALEWSKI has also been associated with several notable figures in the arts and sciences. For example, Tadeusz Kowalewski (1889-1948) was a renowned Polish painter and graphic artist whose works were heavily influenced by Cubism and Expressionism. Another bearer of this surname was Stanisław Kowalewski (1910-1963), a Polish mathematician and logician who made significant contributions to the field of set theory.

In the realm of literature, Wacław Kowalewski (1881-1969) was a Polish writer, poet, and translator known for his works that explored the themes of nature and rural life in Poland. Additionally, Jerzy Kowalewski (1913-1973) was a Polish writer and journalist who gained recognition for his novels and short stories that depicted the lives of ordinary people during the turbulent times of World War II and the post-war period.

It is worth noting that the surname KOWALEWSKI has also been found in other Slavic countries, such as Russia and Ukraine, due to historical migrations and cultural exchanges between these regions. However, its roots can be traced back to Poland, where it emerged as an occupational surname related to the blacksmithing trade.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kowalewski

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kowalewski.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kowalewski was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kowalewski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kowalewski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kowalewski, please contact us.

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