2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lisewski
A Polish surname derived from the word "las" meaning forest or woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Lisewski. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lisewski 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Lisewski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lisewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lisewski
The surname Lisewski originated in Poland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "lisy," meaning "fox," and the suffix "-ewski," which denotes a place of origin or possession. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a fox den or was associated with foxes in some way.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Lisewski can be found in various historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries in the regions of Greater Poland and Pomerania. Some of the earliest known bearers of this surname include Jan Lisewski, a farmer from the village of Lisew near Poznan, mentioned in a land registry from 1487.
The name Lisewski is also associated with the Polish nobility, as evidenced by the coat of arms "Lis" (fox), which was granted to several noble families in the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable figure was Andrzej Lisewski (1570-1641), a Polish military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars and was renowned for his bravery and leadership.
During the 19th century, the surname Lisewski began to spread beyond Poland as a result of immigration and migration. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Franciszek Lisewski (1824-1895), a Polish immigrant who settled in Chicago and worked as a carpenter.
Other notable individuals with the surname Lisewski include Władysław Lisewski (1888-1940), a Polish painter and professor of art, and Janusz Lisewski (1922-2016), a Polish-American engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for his innovations in the field of telecommunications.
In summary, the surname Lisewski has a rich history rooted in the Polish language and culture, with connections to both rural and noble origins. While initially concentrated in Poland, this name has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals who have contributed to various fields and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lisewski
Among Census respondents with the surname Lisewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lisewski 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 Lisewski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lisewski
Lisewski 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+4 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,938 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-20 bearers (-15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,907 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 4,938 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.2%) | Down 18,907 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 Lisewski 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 | #129,047 | #147,954 | -14.7% |
| Count | 132 | 112 | -15.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lisewski bearers went from 132 to 112 (-15.2% change). The surname moved down 18,907 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #147,954.
FAQ
Lisewski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lisewski?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Lisewski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Lisewski?
Lisewski ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Lisewski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Lisewski.
Has Lisewski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lisewski went from 132 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Lisewski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lisewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Lisewski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lisewski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Lisewski (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 Lisewski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "las" meaning forest or woods. 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 Lisewski (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 common is the surname Lisewski?
You can see how many people are called Lisewski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.