2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kuzniewski
A Polish surname derived from the word "kuźnia" meaning blacksmith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Kuzniewski. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuzniewski 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Kuzniewski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuzniewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuzniewski
The surname Kuzniewski originated in Poland, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "kuzniec," which means "blacksmith" or "metalworker." This suggests that the name was likely adopted by an individual or family engaged in the trade of blacksmithing or metalworking.
In the early days, surnames were often derived from occupations, and the name Kuzniewski would have been used to identify individuals who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers. The suffix "-ewski" is a Polish patronymic suffix, indicating that the name was originally a patronymic, referring to the son or descendant of a blacksmith or metalworker.
Historical records from Poland mention the name Kuzniewski as early as the 16th century. One notable figure was Jan Kuzniewski, a blacksmith who lived in the town of Krakow during the late 16th century. His name appears in local guild records from that time.
In the 17th century, the name Kuzniewski can be found in various town and village records across Poland. For instance, a farmer named Tomasz Kuzniewski is mentioned in the records of the village of Przasnysz, located in the Masovian region of central Poland, in the year 1642.
As the name spread across Poland, it also took on variations in spelling, such as Kuźniewski, Kuźniowski, and Kuźnicki. These variations often reflected regional dialects or the influence of different scribes who recorded the name.
One prominent figure bearing the name Kuzniewski was Józef Kuzniewski, a Polish artist and painter who lived from 1808 to 1879. He is known for his landscapes and genre paintings depicting scenes of everyday life in Poland during the 19th century.
Another notable individual was Stanisław Kuzniewski, a Polish military officer who served in the Polish Legions during World War I. He was born in 1892 and played a significant role in the struggle for Poland's independence after the war.
In the 20th century, the name Kuzniewski continued to be found throughout Poland, with various individuals bearing the surname making contributions in various fields, such as academia, business, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuzniewski
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuzniewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuzniewski 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 Kuzniewski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 106
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuzniewski
Kuzniewski 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,334 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-20 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,729 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,334 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 18,729 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 Kuzniewski 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 | #132,206 | #150,935 | -14.2% |
| Count | 128 | 108 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuzniewski bearers went from 128 to 108 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 18,729 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #150,935.
FAQ
Kuzniewski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuzniewski?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Kuzniewski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Kuzniewski?
Kuzniewski ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Kuzniewski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Kuzniewski.
Has Kuzniewski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuzniewski went from 128 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuzniewski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuzniewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Kuzniewski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuzniewski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Kuzniewski (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 Kuzniewski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "kuźnia" meaning blacksmith or metalworker. 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 Kuzniewski (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 many people have the surname Kuzniewski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.