Find out how popular the last name Moleski is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Moleski.

Moleski, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Moleski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Moleski in America

Moleski is the 37955th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Moleski surname appeared 585 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Moleski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Moleski to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Moleski

The surname MOLESKI has its origins in Poland, emerging in the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "mole," meaning "small" or "little," and is believed to have been bestowed upon an individual of diminutive stature or as a nickname for someone with a smaller build.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MOLESKI name can be found in the parish records of the village of Moleszyce, located in the Małopolska region of southern Poland. These records, dating back to the late 16th century, mention several families bearing the MOLESKI surname, suggesting that the name may have originated in or near this village.

In the 17th century, the MOLESKI name appeared in various historical documents across different regions of Poland. Notable examples include a land deed from 1632 in Kraków, where a Jakub MOLESKI is mentioned as a landowner, and a court record from 1671 in Lublin, which references a Jan MOLESKI as a witness in a legal dispute.

During the 18th century, the MOLESKI surname continued to spread throughout Poland, with several individuals bearing the name achieving notable positions. One such figure was Andrzej MOLESKI (1715-1783), a renowned Polish scholar and theologian who authored several influential works on religious philosophy.

As Polish communities began to emigrate to other parts of Europe and the Americas in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the MOLESKI surname traveled with them. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Stanislaw MOLESKI (1825-1897), a Polish immigrant who settled in Chicago and worked as a carpenter.

Another notable MOLESKI was Józef MOLESKI (1870-1942), a Polish artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits. His works were widely exhibited across Europe and are held in several prestigious art collections.

In the 20th century, the MOLESKI surname continued to be carried by individuals of Polish descent around the world. One notable figure was Henryk MOLESKI (1919-2008), a Polish-Canadian engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for his innovations in the field of aerospace engineering.

While the MOLESKI surname originated in Poland, it has since become dispersed across various countries and continents, reflecting the migration patterns of Polish communities over the centuries. Despite its widespread distribution, the name remains rooted in its humble beginnings as a descriptor of physical stature in 16th-century Poland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Moleski

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Moleski.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Moleski was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Moleski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Moleski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Moleski, please contact us.

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