2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mostowy
A surname derived from Polish "most" meaning bridge, likely denoting someone who lived near or worked on a bridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Mostowy. 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 Mostowy 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
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 Mostowy 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 Mostowy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mostowy
The surname "MOSTOWY" is of Polish origin, originating in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "most," meaning "bridge," and may have initially referred to someone who lived near a bridge or worked as a bridge keeper or toll collector.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the town of Krakow, where a certain Jan Mostowy was mentioned in a document from 1612. Another early reference comes from the village of Mostowa, located in the Podkarpackie region of southeastern Poland, which likely took its name from the presence of a bridge or bridges in the area.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the MOSTOWY surname began to spread across various regions of Poland, with families bearing the name appearing in records from cities such as Warsaw, Poznan, and Gdansk. Some notable individuals from this period include Marcin Mostowy (1672-1742), a prominent merchant and landowner from the town of Lowicz, and Katarzyna Mostowa (1701-1778), a philanthropist and benefactor who funded the construction of a hospital in the city of Lublin.
In the 19th century, several members of the MOSTOWY family gained recognition in various fields. One such individual was Józef Mostowy (1824-1892), a renowned linguist and scholar who published numerous works on the Polish language and its dialects. Another notable figure was Maria Mostowa (1845-1911), a pioneering feminist and activist who fought for women's rights and education in Warsaw.
As Polish immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the MOSTOWY surname also spread to various countries. One notable example is Stanislaw Mostowy (1887-1968), a Polish-American engineer who made significant contributions to the development of the Brooklyn Bridge and other iconic structures in New York City.
Throughout its history, the MOSTOWY surname has maintained a strong connection to its Polish roots and the concept of bridges, reflecting the importance of these structures in the cultural and economic life of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mostowy
Among Census respondents with the surname Mostowy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mostowy 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 Mostowy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mostowy
Mostowy 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-15 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,810 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 909 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 20,810 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 909 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 Mostowy 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 | #141,140 | #142,049 | -0.6% |
| Count | 118 | 120 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mostowy bearers went from 118 to 120 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 909 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #142,049.
FAQ
Mostowy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mostowy?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Mostowy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Mostowy?
Mostowy 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 Mostowy. 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 Mostowy.
Has Mostowy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mostowy went from 118 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Mostowy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mostowy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Mostowy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mostowy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (5.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Mostowy (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 Mostowy mean?
A surname derived from Polish "most" meaning bridge, likely denoting someone who lived near or worked on a bridge. 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 Mostowy (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 Mostowy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.