2000
#101,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Noskowiak
A Polish surname meaning "one who wears stockings or long socks".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 196 Americans carry the last name Noskowiak. That puts it at #109,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,748,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noskowiak 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
196
1 in 1,748,747
Census rank
#109,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
171
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 171 bearers of the surname Noskowiak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 109993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noskowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noskowiak
The surname Noskowiak originates from Poland, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Polish words "nos" meaning "nose" and "kowiak," an occupational surname denoting someone who made nose rings or other nose ornaments for people and animals.
While the name may have started as an occupational surname, over time it transitioned into a hereditary family name. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the Noskowiak surname can be found in medieval Polish church records and tax registers from the 15th and 16th centuries, particularly in the regions of Greater Poland and Lesser Poland.
One notable historical figure bearing the Noskowiak name was Jan Noskowiak, a Polish noble and military commander who fought against the Swedish forces during the Second Northern War in the mid-17th century. He was born in 1620 and died in battle near Toruń in 1659.
In the 18th century, Jakub Noskowiak (1732-1802) was a respected local judge and landowner in the village of Ostrów Wielkopolski. His grandson, Stanisław Noskowiak (1779-1856), was a prominent businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of the town's first public library.
Another noteworthy individual with the Noskowiak surname was Maria Noskowiak (1862-1944), a Polish educator and women's rights activist who founded several schools for girls in the city of Poznań during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Franciszek Noskowiak (1901-1985) was a renowned Polish artist and sculptor, known for his intricate woodcarvings and religious artworks that adorned numerous churches throughout Poland.
While the Noskowiak surname originated in Poland, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and beyond as Polish emigrants settled in new lands. However, the earliest and most prominent bearers of this name can be traced back to its Polish roots, where it has a rich and diverse history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noskowiak
Among Census respondents with the surname Noskowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Noskowiak 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 Noskowiak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 171
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noskowiak
Noskowiak 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
#104,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 171
+6 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 3,445 places
2020
#109,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 171
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 5,391 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #101,157 | 165 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #104,602 | 171 | 0.06 | +6 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 3,445 places |
| 2020 | #109,993 | 171 | 0.06 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,391 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 Noskowiak 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 | #104,602 | #109,993 | -5.2% |
| Count | 171 | 171 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noskowiak bearers went from 171 to 171 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 5,391 positions in the national ranking, going from #104,602 to #109,993.
FAQ
Noskowiak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noskowiak?
Name Census estimates that about 196 living Americans carry the surname Noskowiak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,748,747 residents.
How common is Noskowiak?
Noskowiak ranks #109,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 171 people with the surname Noskowiak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Noskowiak.
Has Noskowiak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noskowiak went from 171 recorded bearers to 171. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #104,602 to #109,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Noskowiak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noskowiak, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Noskowiak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (171 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noskowiak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Noskowiak (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 Noskowiak mean?
A Polish surname meaning "one who wears stockings or long socks". 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 Noskowiak (0.06 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 have the surname Noskowiak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.