2000
#10,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,758
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Milewski
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "pertaining to Milewo," a village in east-central Poland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,928 Americans carry the last name Milewski. That puts it at #11,738 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milewski 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 Milewski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,061
Census rank
#11,738
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,553 bearers of the surname Milewski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11738th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Milewski
The surname Milewski is of Polish origin, derived from the personal name Milosz or Miłosz. This name has its roots in the Slavic words "milu" meaning "dear" or "beloved," and "gost" meaning "guest" or "stranger." The name Milewski first appeared in written records in the 12th century, during the reign of the Piast dynasty in Poland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Milewski can be found in the 14th century Tarnów Land Records, which documented landowners and noblemen in the region of Tarnów, Lesser Poland. In these records, a nobleman named Jan Milewski was listed as owning a sizable estate in the village of Szarwark.
The name Milewski was also present in the Prussian Partition of Poland in the late 18th century. During this period, many Polish families with the surname Milewski were forced to relocate to other regions of Europe, including Germany and Russia.
In the 19th century, the name Milewski gained prominence with several notable individuals. Aleksander Milewski (1817-1884) was a Polish writer, poet, and translator who is best known for his translations of works by Shakespeare and Goethe. Józef Milewski (1846-1920) was a Polish nobleman and politician who served as a member of the Prussian Parliament.
Another significant figure with the surname Milewski was Tadeusz Milewski (1906-1966), a Polish linguist and scholar of Slavic languages. His contributions to the study of comparative Slavic linguistics and Indo-European languages were widely recognized in academic circles.
Other notable individuals with the surname Milewski include Stanisław Milewski (1892-1972), a Polish military officer and World War II veteran who received the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration for valor. Andrzej Milewski (1927-2006) was a respected Polish actor and director, known for his work in theater and film.
Throughout its history, the surname Milewski has been associated with various locations and place names in Poland, such as the village of Milew in the Mazovian region, and the town of Miłkowice in Lower Silesia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milewski
Among Census respondents with the surname Milewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Milewski 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 Milewski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 2,401
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 61
- Two or more races2.3% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milewski
Milewski 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
#11,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,646
-112 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 1,182 places
2020
#11,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,553
-93 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,647 | 2,758 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,829 | 2,646 | 0.90 | -112 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 1,182 places |
| 2020 | #11,738 | 2,553 | 0.85 | -93 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 91 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 Milewski 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 | #11,829 | #11,738 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,646 | 2,553 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.85 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milewski bearers went from 2,646 to 2,553 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,829 to #11,738.
FAQ
Milewski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milewski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,928 living Americans carry the surname Milewski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,061 residents.
How common is Milewski?
Milewski ranks #11,738 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,553 people with the surname Milewski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,928), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Milewski.
Has Milewski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milewski went from 2,646 recorded bearers to 2,553. That is a decrease of 93 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,829 to #11,738.
What does the Census say about the background of Milewski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Milewski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,401 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milewski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Milewski (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 Milewski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "pertaining to Milewo," a village in east-central Poland. 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 Milewski (0.85 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 Milewski?
You can see how many people have the surname Milewski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.