2000
#13,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Litwin
A Polish or Jewish surname derived from the Lithuanian word for "Lithuanian," indicating the person's origin or ethnicity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,109 Americans carry the last name Litwin. That puts it at #15,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,520 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Litwin 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 Litwin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 162,520
Census rank
#15,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,839 bearers of the surname Litwin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Litwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Litwin
The surname LITWIN is of Polish origin, derived from the word "Litwa," meaning Lithuania. It dates back to the medieval period when Poland and Lithuania were united under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who was from Lithuania or had connections to the region. It may have been used to distinguish individuals who had migrated from Lithuania to other parts of the Commonwealth.
In the 16th century, the LITWIN surname appeared in various historical records and documents related to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable example is the mention of Stanislaw Litwin, a Polish nobleman and courtier who lived in the mid-16th century.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the LITWIN surname was found in various regions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including present-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. This suggests that individuals with this surname were widespread across the Commonwealth's territories.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LITWIN surname is Andrzej Litwin, a Polish writer and translator who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his translations of classical works from Latin into Polish.
Another notable figure was Jan Litwin, a Polish military commander who fought against the Swedish invasion during the 17th-century Swedish Deluge. He was renowned for his bravery and strategic skills in defending the city of Poznan.
In the 18th century, Józef Litwin was a Polish nobleman and landowner who played a significant role in the Polish Enlightenment movement. He supported educational reforms and the establishment of new schools in his region.
Franciszek Litwin, born in 1786, was a Polish painter and illustrator known for his portraits and religious paintings. His works can be found in several churches and galleries throughout Poland.
Another notable figure was Wladyslaw Litwin, a Polish writer and journalist who lived from 1871 to 1938. He was actively involved in the Polish independence movement and wrote numerous articles and essays promoting Polish nationalism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Litwin
Among Census respondents with the surname Litwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Litwin 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 Litwin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,687
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 78
- Two or more races2.0% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 19
- Black or African American1.0% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Litwin
Litwin 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
#14,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,079
-22 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 1,070 places
2020
#15,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,839
-240 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,308 | 2,101 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,378 | 2,079 | 0.70 | -22 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 1,070 places |
| 2020 | #15,363 | 1,839 | 0.62 | -240 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 985 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 Litwin 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 | #14,378 | #15,363 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,079 | 1,839 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.62 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Litwin bearers went from 2,079 to 1,839 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 985 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,378 to #15,363.
FAQ
Litwin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Litwin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,109 living Americans carry the surname Litwin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,520 residents.
How common is Litwin?
Litwin ranks #15,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,839 people with the surname Litwin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Litwin.
Has Litwin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Litwin went from 2,079 recorded bearers to 1,839. That is a decrease of 240 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,378 to #15,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Litwin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Litwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Litwin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,687 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Litwin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Litwin (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 Litwin mean?
A Polish or Jewish surname derived from the Lithuanian word for "Lithuanian," indicating the person's origin or ethnicity. 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 Litwin (0.62 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 are called Litwin?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Litwin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.