2000
#111,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Miecznikowski
A surname associated with a person's occupation, likely referring to a swordmaker or swordseller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Miecznikowski. 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 Miecznikowski 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 Miecznikowski 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 Miecznikowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Miecznikowski
The surname Miecznikowski originates from Poland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Polish word "miecznik," which means "swordbearer." The name initially referred to a specific occupation or position within the Polish nobility, where the miecznik was responsible for carrying the ceremonial sword of the king or other high-ranking officials during official events and ceremonies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Miecznikowski can be found in a 13th-century document from the region of Małopolska in southern Poland. The document mentions a nobleman named Jan Miecznikowski, who held the position of miecznik at the court of Prince Leszek the White.
In the 15th century, the name Miecznikowski appeared in the records of the city of Kraków, where a family with this surname held significant influence and owned several properties within the city walls. One notable member of this family was Mikołaj Miecznikowski, a prominent merchant and city councilor who lived between 1420 and 1487.
The Miecznikowski name is also linked to several small villages and settlements in central and eastern Poland, such as Miecznikowice and Mieczniki, which likely derived their names from the presence of families bearing this surname in the area.
Among the notable historical figures with the Miecznikowski surname, one can mention:
1. Stanisław Miecznikowski (1559-1632), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars of the early 17th century.
2. Andrzej Miecznikowski (1676-1745), a Polish priest and theologian who served as the rector of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.
3. Józef Miecznikowski (1787-1856), a Polish painter and artist known for his landscape paintings and religious works.
4. Franciszek Miecznikowski (1825-1891), a Polish writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories during the late 19th century.
5. Elżbieta Miecznikowska (1876-1942), a Polish suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and equal opportunities in education and employment.
While the surname Miecznikowski is not as common today as it once was, it remains an integral part of Poland's rich cultural heritage and serves as a reminder of the country's long-standing traditions and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Miecznikowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Miecznikowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Miecznikowski 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 Miecznikowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Miecznikowski
Miecznikowski 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
#112,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156
+9 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,449 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-39 bearers (-25.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 31,702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,119 | 147 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #112,568 | 156 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 1,449 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -39 bearers (-25.0%) | Down 31,702 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 Miecznikowski 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 | #112,568 | #144,270 | -28.2% |
| Count | 156 | 117 | -25.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Miecznikowski bearers went from 156 to 117 (-25.0% change). The surname moved down 31,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #112,568 to #144,270.
FAQ
Miecznikowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Miecznikowski?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Miecznikowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Miecznikowski?
Miecznikowski 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 Miecznikowski. 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 Miecznikowski.
Has Miecznikowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Miecznikowski went from 156 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 39 (-25.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #112,568 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Miecznikowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Miecznikowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Miecznikowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Miecznikowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (7.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Miecznikowski (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 Miecznikowski mean?
A surname associated with a person's occupation, likely referring to a swordmaker or swordseller. 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 Miecznikowski (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 Miecznikowski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Miecznikowski at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.