2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Misztal
A Polish surname derived from the word "misztal", meaning a stable or barn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Misztal. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Misztal 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 Misztal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Misztal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Misztal, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Misztal
The surname Misztal is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old Polish word "misztal," which means "stable" or "barn." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked in a stable or barn, or perhaps lived near one.
The earliest known record of the name Misztal can be found in the Poznan region of Poland, where it appears in a document from 1387. This document mentions a landowner named Jan Misztal, indicating that the name was already established among the Polish nobility by that time.
During the Middle Ages, the Misztal name was most prevalent in the central and southern regions of Poland, particularly in the areas around Krakow and Tarnow. Some variations of the spelling include Mysztal, Misztalski, and Mysztalski.
In the 16th century, the Misztal family established itself in the village of Misztalowice, which is located near the city of Bochnia. This village likely took its name from the Misztal family, further cementing their connection to the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Misztal outside of Poland can be found in the Bohemian town of Brno (now part of the Czech Republic) in 1602. A merchant named Pawel Misztal is mentioned in a local registry from that year.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Misztal surname. One of the most famous was Jan Misztal (1879-1942), a Polish politician and social activist who served as a member of the Sejm (Polish parliament) in the early 20th century.
Another prominent figure was Stanislaw Misztal (1892-1975), a Polish mathematician and university professor who made significant contributions to the field of functional analysis.
In the realm of sports, Wladyslaw Misztal (1913-1997) was a Polish boxer who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he won a bronze medal in the lightweight division.
More recently, Tadeusz Misztal (1933-2021) was a renowned Polish actor and theater director, who was best known for his roles in several popular television series and films.
Finally, Janusz Misztal (born 1952) is a contemporary Polish writer and journalist who has authored several books on historical and cultural topics related to his home region of Krakow.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Misztal
Among Census respondents with the surname Misztal, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Misztal 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 Misztal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Misztal
Misztal 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+16 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,227 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-10 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,439 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 5,227 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 11,439 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 Misztal 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 | #130,610 | #142,049 | -8.8% |
| Count | 130 | 120 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Misztal bearers went from 130 to 120 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 11,439 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #142,049.
FAQ
Misztal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Misztal?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Misztal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Misztal?
Misztal ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Misztal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Misztal.
Has Misztal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Misztal went from 130 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Misztal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Misztal, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Misztal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Misztal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Misztal (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 Misztal mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "misztal", meaning a stable or barn. 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 Misztal (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 Misztal?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.