2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mihalski
A Polish surname derived from the given name "Michał", the Polish form of Michael.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Mihalski. 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 Mihalski 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 Mihalski 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 Mihalski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mihalski
The surname Mihalski originates from Poland and dates back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Polish personal name Michal, which is a variant of the Hebrew name Michael meaning "who is like God." The suffix "-ski" indicates origin or relation, so Mihalski can be interpreted as "son of Michal" or "from the family of Michal."
Mihalski was initially found in the areas around Krakow and Poznan, where it was often recorded in various spellings such as Michalski, Michałski, or Michulski. These early variations reflect the fluid nature of surname spellings before they became standardized.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the 1490 tax register of the city of Krakow, where a certain Jan Mihalski is listed as a resident. Another early mention can be found in the 1564 parish records of the village of Kozłowice, where a Marcin Mihalski is documented.
In the 16th century, a prominent member of the Mihalski family was Andrzej Mihalski (1516-1583), a Polish nobleman and diplomat who served as a courtier to King Sigismund II Augustus. He was involved in negotiating the Union of Lublin, which united the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single state.
During the 17th century, the Mihalski name appeared in various historical records across Poland. Notable individuals include Bartłomiej Mihalski (1617-1689), a Jesuit priest and philosopher who taught at the University of Krakow, and Mikołaj Mihalski (1642-1702), a renowned architect who designed several churches and monasteries in the Baroque style.
In the 18th century, a notable figure was Jan Mihalski (1725-1789), a Polish military officer who fought in the Bar Confederation against the Russian Empire's influence in Poland. He later became a member of the Polish Sejm (parliament) and was known for his patriotic stance.
Another prominent Mihalski was Józef Mihalski (1815-1901), a 19th-century Polish painter and educator who specialized in historical and religious paintings. He taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and his works can be found in several Polish museums and churches.
While the surname Mihalski has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other countries due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly tied to the Polish lands and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mihalski
Among Census respondents with the surname Mihalski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mihalski 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 Mihalski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 102
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mihalski
Mihalski 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,453 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 1,453 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,453 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 Mihalski 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 | #138,304 | #145,757 | -5.4% |
| Count | 121 | 115 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mihalski bearers went from 121 to 115 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,757.
FAQ
Mihalski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mihalski?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Mihalski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Mihalski?
Mihalski 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 Mihalski. 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 Mihalski.
Has Mihalski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mihalski went from 121 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Mihalski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mihalski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Mihalski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mihalski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Mihalski (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 Mihalski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the given name "Michał", the Polish form of Michael. 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 Mihalski (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 share the surname Mihalski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.