2000
#7,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,957
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Makowski
A Polish habitational surname derived from places named Maków or Makowo, meaning "poppy" or "place of poppies."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,179 Americans carry the last name Makowski. That puts it at #8,645 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Makowski 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 Makowski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 82,018
Census rank
#8,645
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,644 bearers of the surname Makowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8645th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Makowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Makowski
The surname Makowski is of Polish origin, derived from the regional area of Maków in central Poland. Its roots can be traced back to the early Middle Ages, possibly as far as the 11th century. The name is believed to have originated from the Old Polish word "mak," meaning poppy, suggesting a connection to an area known for poppy cultivation or a person involved in the poppy trade.
In the late 13th century, records show variations of the name, such as "de Makow" and "Makovius," appearing in historical documents from the region. One notable early mention is found in the Teutonic Knights' records from the 13th century, where a knight named Jakub Makowski is documented as fighting against the pagan Prussians.
The earliest recorded individual with the surname Makowski was Jan Makowski, a wealthy merchant and landowner from the town of Maków, who lived in the late 15th century. Another prominent figure was Marcin Makowski, a Polish mathematician and astronomer born in 1588, who made significant contributions to the development of trigonometry and wrote influential works on the subject.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Makowski became more widely dispersed across Poland, with families bearing the surname settling in various regions, including the areas around Kraków, Poznań, and Warsaw. A notable figure from this period was Stanisław Makowski (1590-1632), a renowned Polish writer and poet who authored several highly acclaimed works.
In the 19th century, Józef Makowski (1815-1892) was a prominent Polish painter and art educator who played a significant role in establishing the Kraków School of Art. He is celebrated for his historical and genre paintings, which depicted scenes from Polish history and everyday life.
Another influential individual with the Makowski surname was Julian Makowski (1865-1939), a Polish lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice in the Second Polish Republic during the interwar period. He was a key figure in shaping the legal system and judiciary of the newly independent Poland after World War I.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Makowski throughout history, reflecting the name's deep roots in Polish culture and its widespread presence across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Makowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Makowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Makowski 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 Makowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 3,422
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 103
- Two or more races2.1% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 30
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Makowski
Makowski 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
#8,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,942
-15 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 654 places
2020
#8,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,644
-298 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,741 | 3,957 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,395 | 3,942 | 1.34 | -15 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 654 places |
| 2020 | #8,645 | 3,644 | 1.22 | -298 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 250 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 Makowski 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 | #8,395 | #8,645 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,942 | 3,644 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.22 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Makowski bearers went from 3,942 to 3,644 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 250 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,395 to #8,645.
FAQ
Makowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Makowski?
Name Census estimates that about 4,179 living Americans carry the surname Makowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,018 residents.
How common is Makowski?
Makowski ranks #8,645 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,644 people with the surname Makowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,179), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Makowski.
Has Makowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Makowski went from 3,942 recorded bearers to 3,644. That is a decrease of 298 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,395 to #8,645.
What does the Census say about the background of Makowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Makowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Makowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (3,422 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Makowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Makowski (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 Makowski mean?
A Polish habitational surname derived from places named Maków or Makowo, meaning "poppy" or "place of poppies." 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 Makowski (1.22 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 Makowski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.