2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Murkowski
A Polish or Russian locational surname denoting an origin from a place called Murki or Murkov.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 181 Americans carry the last name Murkowski. That puts it at #116,774 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,893,670 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Murkowski 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
181
1 in 1,893,670
Census rank
#116,774
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
158
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 158 bearers of the surname Murkowski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 116774th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Murkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Murkowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Murkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Murkowski 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 Murkowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 149
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 8
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Murkowski
Murkowski 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
+20 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 5,203 places
2020
#116,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 158
-2 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,488 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | +20 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 5,203 places |
| 2020 | #116,774 | 158 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 6,488 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 Murkowski 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 | #110,286 | #116,774 | -5.9% |
| Count | 160 | 158 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Murkowski bearers went from 160 to 158 (-1.3% change). The surname moved down 6,488 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #116,774.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Murkowski
FAQ
Murkowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Murkowski?
Name Census estimates that about 181 living Americans carry the surname Murkowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,893,670 residents.
How common is Murkowski?
Murkowski ranks #116,774 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 158 people with the surname Murkowski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Murkowski.
Has Murkowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Murkowski went from 160 recorded bearers to 158. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,286 to #116,774.
What does the Census say about the background of Murkowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Murkowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Murkowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Murkowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Murkowski (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 Murkowski mean?
A Polish or Russian locational surname denoting an origin from a place called Murki or Murkov. 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 Murkowski (0.05 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 Murkowski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.