2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Nizolek
A surname of Polish origin, potentially derived from the geographic term "niz" meaning "lowland".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Nizolek. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nizolek 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Nizolek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nizolek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nizolek
The surname Nizolek is believed to have originated in Poland sometime in the late 15th or early 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Polish word "nizolki," which referred to a type of low-lying meadow or pasture land. This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who lived or worked near such an area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the town of Krakow, dated 1529, which mentions a farmer named Jan Nizolek. There are also records of a Nikodem Nizolek, who was a landowner in the village of Wieliczka in the late 1600s.
While the name is relatively uncommon, there are a few notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Nizolek. One such person was Jakub Nizolek (1775-1848), a Polish author and playwright who wrote several works in the Romantic style. Another was Stanislaw Nizolek (1892-1968), a Polish painter known for his landscape and portrait works.
In the 19th century, the name appeared in some historical records from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, suggesting that it may have spread to other parts of Central Europe during that time. For example, there are records of a Jozef Nizolek (1822-1898) who was a merchant in the city of Lviv (now in Ukraine).
Moving into the 20th century, one notable figure with the surname Nizolek was Wladyslaw Nizolek (1907-1982), a Polish engineer and inventor who developed several innovations in the field of railway technology. Another was Tadeusz Nizolek (1921-2005), a Polish writer and journalist who covered World War II and the post-war period in his works.
While not a comprehensive list, these examples serve to illustrate the history and geographical spread of the surname Nizolek over the past few centuries. Despite its relative obscurity, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life and has left its mark in various regions of Central and Eastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nizolek
Among Census respondents with the surname Nizolek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nizolek 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 Nizolek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 107
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nizolek
Nizolek 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,688 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-12 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11,688 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 12,119 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 Nizolek 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 | #137,327 | #149,446 | -8.8% |
| Count | 122 | 110 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nizolek bearers went from 122 to 110 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 12,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #149,446.
FAQ
Nizolek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nizolek?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Nizolek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Nizolek?
Nizolek ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Nizolek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Nizolek.
Has Nizolek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nizolek went from 122 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Nizolek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nizolek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Nizolek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nizolek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Nizolek (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 Nizolek mean?
A surname of Polish origin, potentially derived from the geographic term "niz" meaning "lowland". 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 Nizolek (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 Americans have the surname Nizolek?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.