2000
#7,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Laskowski
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "Lasek's town" or "town in a small forest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,561 Americans carry the last name Laskowski. That puts it at #7,988 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,149 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laskowski 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Laskowski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 75,149
Census rank
#7,988
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,977 bearers of the surname Laskowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7988th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laskowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laskowski
The surname Laskowski is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "las," meaning forest or woods. It likely originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or in a forested area. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Poland, with various regional spelling variations such as Laskoski and Laschkowski.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Laskowski name can be found in the Księga Henrykowska, a 13th-century manuscript from the Cistercian monastery in Henryków, Lower Silesia. The document mentions a landowner named Laskowski who granted land to the monastery.
In the 14th century, a nobleman named Jan Laskowski was recorded as a member of the Polish gentry class, holding land and titles in the region of Lesser Poland. Another notable figure from this period was Mikołaj Laskowski, a Catholic priest and scholar who authored several theological works in the late 1400s.
During the Renaissance period, the Laskowski name gained prominence with the birth of Wojciech Laskowski (1572-1639), a Polish military commander and diplomat. He served as a field marshal under King Sigismund III Vasa and played a crucial role in the Polish-Swedish wars.
In the 18th century, Ignacy Laskowski (1745-1801) was a renowned Polish lawyer and writer. He served as a judge and published several legal treatises, contributing to the development of Polish jurisprudence.
The 19th century saw the rise of Wacław Laskowski (1837-1899), a Polish linguist and philologist. He is renowned for his pioneering work in the field of phonetics and his contributions to the study of Slavic languages.
Throughout history, the Laskowski surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as the village of Laskowice in the Lesser Poland region, and the town of Laskowo in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laskowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Laskowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Laskowski 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 Laskowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 3,717
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 128
- Two or more races2.3% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laskowski
Laskowski 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
#7,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,284
-72 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 669 places
2020
#7,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,977
-307 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,081 | 4,356 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,750 | 4,284 | 1.45 | -72 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 669 places |
| 2020 | #7,988 | 3,977 | 1.33 | -307 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 238 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 Laskowski 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 | #7,750 | #7,988 | -3.1% |
| Count | 4,284 | 3,977 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.33 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laskowski bearers went from 4,284 to 3,977 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 238 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,750 to #7,988.
FAQ
Laskowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laskowski?
Name Census estimates that about 4,561 living Americans carry the surname Laskowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,149 residents.
How common is Laskowski?
Laskowski ranks #7,988 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,977 people with the surname Laskowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,561), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Laskowski.
Has Laskowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laskowski went from 4,284 recorded bearers to 3,977. That is a decrease of 307 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,750 to #7,988.
What does the Census say about the background of Laskowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laskowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Laskowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (3,717 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laskowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Laskowski (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 Laskowski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "Lasek's town" or "town in a small forest." 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 Laskowski (1.33 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 Laskowski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.