2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maniak
A surname derived from the Polish word "maniak," meaning an eccentric or obsessive person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Maniak. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maniak 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Maniak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maniak
The surname Maniak originates from Poland, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is derived from the Polish word "maniaka," which means "madman" or "maniac." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who was considered eccentric or unstable.
In the late 15th century, the name Maniak can be found in historical records from the Krakow region of Poland. One of the earliest recorded instances is in a manuscript from 1487, which mentions a farmer named Jan Maniak living in the village of Wieliczka.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Maniak surname spread across various parts of Poland, including the Silesian region. In 1632, a document from the town of Nysa references a blacksmith named Andrzej Maniak.
The name Maniak is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Maciej Maniak, a Polish poet and writer born in 1595 in the city of Lublin. His works, which included satirical poems and plays, were influential in the development of Polish literature during the Renaissance.
In the 18th century, Józef Maniak (1718-1794) was a prominent Polish military commander who fought in the Bar Confederation, a rebellion against Russian influence in Poland. He is remembered for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of Częstochowa in 1771.
Another notable person with the Maniak surname was Franciszek Maniak (1819-1886), a Polish painter and architect. He is best known for his architectural designs for numerous churches and public buildings in the city of Krakow.
The name Maniak can also be found in various place names across Poland, such as the village of Maniaków in the Silesian Voivodeship, which likely derived its name from early settlers with the Maniak surname.
While the Maniak surname originated in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration. However, its roots and historical significance remain deeply tied to its Polish heritage and the fascinating stories of those who bore this distinctive name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maniak
Among Census respondents with the surname Maniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Maniak 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 Maniak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maniak
Maniak 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,288 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,262 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 3,288 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 7,262 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 Maniak 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 | #151,532 | #144,270 | 4.8% |
| Count | 108 | 117 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maniak bearers went from 108 to 117 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 7,262 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #144,270.
FAQ
Maniak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maniak?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Maniak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Maniak?
Maniak ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Maniak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Maniak.
Has Maniak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maniak went from 108 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Maniak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Maniak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maniak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Black (1.7%). 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 Maniak (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 Maniak mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word "maniak," meaning an eccentric or obsessive person. 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 Maniak (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 many people are called Maniak?
You can see how many people have the last name Maniak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.