2000
#2,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.38
Uncommon Last name
Lewandowski
A Polish toponymic surname derived from places named Lewandów or Lewandowo, meaning "Lewand's place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,692 Americans carry the last name Lewandowski. That puts it at #3,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,006 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lewandowski 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 Lewandowski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,006
Census rank
#3,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,068 bearers of the surname Lewandowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lewandowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lewandowski
The surname Lewandowski is of Polish origin, deriving from the Polish word "lew" meaning "lion" and the suffix "-owski" indicating belonging or relation. This suggests the name likely originated as a descriptive nickname or a topographic name referring to someone who lived near a distinctive geographical feature associated with a lion.
The name can be traced back to the 14th century in Poland, with early records showing variations such as Lewandowsky, Lewandowicz, and Lewandowski. It is believed to have originated in the region of Greater Poland or Wielkopolska, an area historically known for its large forests and wildlife.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the 1398 records of the city of Kraków, where a certain Marcin Lewandowski is mentioned as a landowner. Another early reference is in the 1428 records of the city of Poznań, where a Maciej Lewandowski is listed as a merchant.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the Polish nobility, with a Mikołaj Lewandowski being granted a coat of arms in 1528. This suggests that some branches of the Lewandowski family had achieved notable status by that time.
Several notable individuals have borne the Lewandowski surname throughout history. These include:
1. Jan Lewandowski (c. 1530-1600), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Livonian War.
2. Ignacy Lewandowski (1756-1825), a Polish painter and engraver known for his religious works.
3. Józef Lewandowski (1793-1871), a Polish mathematician and educator who made contributions to the field of geometry.
4. Stanisław Lewandowski (1904-1981), a Polish footballer who played as a striker for several Polish clubs in the 1920s and 1930s.
5. Robert Lewandowski (born 1988), a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bayern Munich and the Polish national team, widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.
While the name Lewandowski has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and has become associated with various communities of Polish diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lewandowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Lewandowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lewandowski 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 Lewandowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 10,267
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 367
- Two or more races2.9% · 319
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 60
- Black or African American0.4% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lewandowski
Lewandowski 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
#3,110
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,577
-245 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.92
Rank movement Down 316 places
2020
#3,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,068
-509 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 3.70
Rank movement Down 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,794 | 11,822 | 4.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,110 | 11,577 | 3.92 | -245 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 316 places |
| 2020 | #3,182 | 11,068 | 3.70 | -509 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 72 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 Lewandowski 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 | #3,110 | #3,182 | -2.3% |
| Count | 11,577 | 11,068 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.92 | 3.70 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lewandowski bearers went from 11,577 to 11,068 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,110 to #3,182.
FAQ
Lewandowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lewandowski?
Name Census estimates that about 12,692 living Americans carry the surname Lewandowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,006 residents.
How common is Lewandowski?
Lewandowski ranks #3,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,068 people with the surname Lewandowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,692), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Lewandowski.
Has Lewandowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lewandowski went from 11,577 recorded bearers to 11,068. That is a decrease of 509 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,110 to #3,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Lewandowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lewandowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Lewandowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (10,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lewandowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Lewandowski (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 Lewandowski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from places named Lewandów or Lewandowo, meaning "Lewand's place." 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 Lewandowski (3.70 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 Lewandowski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.