2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mierek
A Polish surname derived from the diminutive form of "Mier" or "Miro," meaning "peace" or "peaceful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Mierek. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mierek 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Mierek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mierek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mierek
The surname MIEREK is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the town of Mierek, located in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Poland. The name is derived from the Old Polish word "mier," meaning "measure" or "measurement," suggesting that the original bearer of this surname may have been involved in some form of trade or commerce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MIEREK can be found in the Liber Beneficiorum, a historical document compiled in the late 15th century by Jan Długosz, a Polish historian and chronicler. This document contains records of land grants and property ownership in various regions of Poland.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the MIEREK surname appeared in several parish registers and church records across Silesia and other parts of Poland. Notable individuals bearing this name from this period include Jan MIEREK (1567-1632), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Wrocław, and Katarzyna MIEREK (1598-1672), a renowned herbalist and midwife from the village of Mierek.
In the 18th century, the MIEREK surname was associated with several prominent figures in the Polish nobility. One such individual was Andrzej MIEREK (1712-1789), a cavalry officer who served in the Polish army during the reign of King Augustus III.
The 19th century saw the rise of several MIEREK families in the fields of academia and literature. Józef MIEREK (1821-1891) was a renowned linguist and professor at the University of Warsaw, while his contemporary, Maria MIEREK (1832-1906), was a celebrated poet and writer whose works explored themes of Polish national identity and cultural heritage.
Throughout its history, the MIEREK surname has also been linked to various place names and geographical locations in Poland. For instance, the village of Mierków, located in the Opole region, is believed to have derived its name from the MIEREK surname, suggesting that the area may have been settled or owned by members of this family in the past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mierek
Among Census respondents with the surname Mierek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mierek 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 Mierek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mierek
Mierek appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,649 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 Mierek 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 | #142,108 | #145,757 | -2.6% |
| Count | 117 | 115 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mierek bearers went from 117 to 115 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,649 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,757.
FAQ
Mierek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mierek?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Mierek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Mierek?
Mierek ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Mierek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Mierek.
Has Mierek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mierek went from 117 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Mierek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mierek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Black (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 Mierek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mierek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (6.1%), Black (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 Mierek (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 Mierek mean?
A Polish surname derived from the diminutive form of "Mier" or "Miro," meaning "peace" or "peaceful." 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 Mierek (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 Mierek?
See how many Americans have the surname Mierek on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.