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

Lesniak, 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 Lesniak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lesniak in America

Lesniak is the 11886th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lesniak surname appeared 2,634 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 Lesniak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lesniak 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 Lesniak

The surname Lesniak is of Polish origin, originating from the region of Lesser Poland in the 14th century. It is derived from the Polish word "lesinik," which means "forester" or "forest dweller." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely employed in forestry or lived in or near forested areas.

The Lesniak surname can be traced back to the village of Lesnica, located in the Krakow region of Poland. Historical records indicate that the name was first documented in 1389 when a man named Stanislaw Lesniak was mentioned in a land registry document.

In the 15th century, the Lesniak name appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, including the Metryka Koronna, an official register of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable entry from 1478 mentions a Jakub Lesniak, a landowner in the village of Lesnica.

The earliest recorded example of the Lesniak surname can be found in the Liber Beneficiorum, a register of church properties and benefices compiled by Jan Długosz in the late 15th century. This record mentions a Piotr Lesniak, a parish priest in the village of Lesnica.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the Lesniak surname. One of the earliest was Jan Lesniak (1523-1580), a Polish theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. Another prominent figure was Franciszek Lesniak (1705-1786), a Polish painter and architect who designed several churches and palaces in the Baroque style.

In the 19th century, Kazimierz Lesniak (1842-1905) was a Polish mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of algebraic geometry. Additionally, Waclaw Lesniak (1867-1939) was a Polish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Second Polish Republic.

Another notable Lesniak was Józef Lesniak (1912-1986), a Polish resistance fighter during World War II who participated in the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi German occupation. He was later awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration for valor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lesniak

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

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 Lesniak 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 Lesniak 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 Lesniak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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