2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Krokowski
A Polish surname derived from "krok", meaning step or pace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Krokowski. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krokowski 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Krokowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krokowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krokowski
The surname Krokowski is of Polish origin, emerging in the late 16th century in the region of Pomerania, which was then part of the Kingdom of Poland. It is derived from the Polish word "krok," meaning "step" or "stride," combined with the possessive suffix "-owski," indicating ownership or relation. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone with a distinctive gait or stride.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Krokowski can be traced back to church records and land registries from the late 1500s and early 1600s in the towns of Gdańsk, Tczew, and Sztum, located in what is now northern Poland. Some variations in spelling, such as Krokowsky or Krokowskie, were common during this period.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several historical documents related to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including the 1648 Census of the Duchy of Prussia, which listed several Krokowski families living in the towns of Malbork and Elbląg. This suggests that the name had spread across the region by this time.
One notable figure bearing the surname Krokowski was Jan Krokowski, a Polish military officer who served in the Swedish Invasion of Poland during the 17th century. He was born in 1620 in Gdańsk and is recorded as having fought in several battles against the Swedish forces between 1655 and 1660.
Another historical figure was Franciszek Krokowski, a Polish philosopher and educator who lived in the late 18th century. He was born in 1752 in Toruń and is known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy, as well as his efforts to reform the education system in Poland.
In the 19th century, the Krokowski surname can be found in records related to the Polish uprisings against Russian rule, with several individuals bearing the name participating in the November Uprising of 1830-1831 and the January Uprising of 1863-1864.
One notable example from this period is Władysław Krokowski, born in 1815 in Poznań, who was a Polish patriot and revolutionary leader. He fought in the November Uprising and later became involved in the Polish national movement, advocating for the restoration of Poland's independence.
Another individual of note is Józef Krokowski, a Polish artist and painter who lived from 1836 to 1912. He was born in Warsaw and is known for his landscapes and portraits, many of which depicted scenes from Polish history and culture.
Throughout its history, the Krokowski surname has maintained a strong presence in Poland, reflecting the country's rich cultural heritage and traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krokowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Krokowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Krokowski 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 Krokowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 97
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krokowski
Krokowski 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,015 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-12 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,069 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 19,015 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 9,069 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 Krokowski 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 | #146,201 | #155,270 | -6.2% |
| Count | 113 | 101 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krokowski bearers went from 113 to 101 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 9,069 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #155,270.
FAQ
Krokowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krokowski?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Krokowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Krokowski?
Krokowski ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Krokowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Krokowski.
Has Krokowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krokowski went from 113 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Krokowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krokowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (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 Krokowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krokowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (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 Krokowski (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 Krokowski mean?
A Polish surname derived from "krok", meaning step or pace. 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 Krokowski (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Krokowski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.