2000
#103,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Kwiek
A Polish surname meaning "quick" or "lively".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 190 Americans carry the last name Kwiek. That puts it at #112,515 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,803,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kwiek 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
190
1 in 1,803,970
Census rank
#112,515
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
166
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 166 bearers of the surname Kwiek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 112515th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwiek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Black (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kwiek
The surname KWIEK is of Polish origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "kwiek," which means "lively" or "agile." The name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was particularly energetic or quick-moving.
The earliest recorded instances of the KWIEK surname can be found in historical documents from the 15th century in the region of Lesser Poland, which was part of the Kingdom of Poland at the time. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the areas around the cities of Krakow and Tarnow.
One of the earliest known individuals with the KWIEK surname was Jan KWIEK, a merchant from Krakow who was mentioned in a trade register from the year 1472. Another notable figure was Mikołaj KWIEK, a soldier who fought in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, one of the most significant battles in medieval Polish history.
In the 16th century, the KWIEK surname can be found in records from the town of Bochnia, located in the Małopolska region of southern Poland. A document from 1542 mentions a man named Stanisław KWIEK, who was a member of the local guild of salt miners.
During the 17th century, the name KWIEK appears to have spread to other parts of Poland, including the city of Poznań in the west and the town of Zamość in the east. A notable individual from this period was Marcin KWIEK, a scholar and professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, who lived from 1628 to 1701.
In the 18th century, the KWIEK surname can be found in records from the town of Łowicz, located in central Poland. A document from 1782 mentions a man named Tomasz KWIEK, who was a landowner and local official.
Other notable individuals with the KWIEK surname throughout history include Józef KWIEK, a Polish composer and pianist who lived in the 19th century, and Władysław KWIEK, a Polish soldier and resistance fighter during World War II who was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kwiek
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwiek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Black (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kwiek 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 Kwiek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 158
- Two or more races2.4% · 4
- Black or African American1.2% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kwiek
Kwiek 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
#107,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165
+4 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 4,476 places
2020
#112,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
+1 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 4,846 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,193 | 161 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #107,669 | 165 | 0.06 | +4 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 4,476 places |
| 2020 | #112,515 | 166 | 0.06 | +1 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 4,846 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 Kwiek 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 | #107,669 | #112,515 | -4.5% |
| Count | 165 | 166 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kwiek bearers went from 165 to 166 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 4,846 positions in the national ranking, going from #107,669 to #112,515.
FAQ
Kwiek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kwiek?
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the surname Kwiek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,803,970 residents.
How common is Kwiek?
Kwiek ranks #112,515 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 166 people with the surname Kwiek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Kwiek.
Has Kwiek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kwiek went from 165 recorded bearers to 166. That is an increase of 1 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #107,669 to #112,515.
What does the Census say about the background of Kwiek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwiek, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Kwiek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kwiek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Black (1.2%). 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 Kwiek (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 Kwiek mean?
A Polish surname meaning "quick" or "lively". 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 Kwiek (0.06 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 common is the surname Kwiek?
Find out how many people are called Kwiek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.