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

Murkowski, 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 Murkowski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Murkowski in America

Murkowski is the 110286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Murkowski surname appeared 160 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 Murkowski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Murkowski 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 Murkowski

The surname MURKOWSKI is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word 'murarz', meaning 'mason' or 'bricklayer', indicating that the name's earliest bearers were likely involved in masonry or construction work. The name was initially concentrated in the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland, where it was first recorded.

One of the earliest documented references to the name MURKOWSKI can be found in the records of the town of Krakow, dating back to the late 16th century. The name is also mentioned in several parish registers and tax records from the 17th and 18th centuries in the surrounding areas of southern Poland.

In the 19th century, the name MURKOWSKI began to spread more widely across Poland and into neighboring regions, as families migrated in search of better opportunities. One notable early bearer of the name was Jan Murkowski (1805-1877), a Polish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Warsaw.

As the MURKOWSKI family dispersed across Europe and beyond, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some examples include Murkowsky, Murkovskiy, and Murchowski. These variants often reflected the linguistic and cultural influences of the regions where the name took root.

Another prominent individual with the MURKOWSKI surname was Wacław Murkowski (1875-1941), a Polish politician and activist who advocated for workers' rights and social reforms in the early 20th century. He was a member of the Polish Sejm (parliament) and played a significant role in shaping labor policies during the interwar period.

In the 20th century, the name MURKOWSKI gained wider recognition with the rise of Frank Murkowski (1933-2019), an American politician and businessman of Polish descent. He served as a United States Senator from Alaska from 1981 to 2002 and later became the 8th Governor of Alaska from 2002 to 2006.

While the MURKOWSKI surname has its origins in Poland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by generations of migrants and their descendants. The name continues to be associated with its historical ties to masonry and construction, as well as the diverse cultural and political legacies of those who have borne it throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Murkowski

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

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 Murkowski 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 Murkowski 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 Murkowski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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