2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Nowark
A surname derived from a place name, possibly from the Polish town of Nowarka.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Nowark. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nowark 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Nowark in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nowark, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nowark
The surname Nowark is of Polish origin, and it likely emerged in the late medieval period in the region that is now modern-day Poland. The name is derived from the Polish word "nowy," meaning "new," combined with the suffix "-ark," which indicates a place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nowark can be found in the Prussian Territorial Cadastres, which were records of land ownership and taxation compiled in the 16th and 17th centuries. These records suggest that the name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Greater Poland and Silesia during that time.
The name Nowark may have been initially given to someone who had recently settled in a new area or had established a new homestead. It could also have been used to distinguish someone who had moved from one location to another, hence the "new" connotation.
In the 18th century, the Nowark surname appeared in various church records and parish registers across Poland. For example, in 1765, a man named Jakub Nowark was born in the town of Ostrów Wielkopolski, located in the Greater Poland region.
Notable individuals with the surname Nowark throughout history include Józef Nowark (1865-1929), a Polish sculptor and artist who was known for his works in the Art Nouveau style. Another notable figure was Jadwiga Nowark (1899-1985), a Polish writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and prose works during her lifetime.
In the 19th century, the surname Nowark was also found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with significant Polish populations. For instance, in 1867, a man named Stanisław Nowark was born in the town of Brodnica, which was then part of the Prussian province of West Prussia (now in modern-day Poland).
Other historical figures with the surname Nowark include Kazimierz Nowark (1888-1939), a Polish military officer who served in World War I and later became a general in the Polish Army, and Jerzy Nowark (1923-2008), a Polish mathematician and professor who made significant contributions to the field of functional analysis.
While the surname Nowark is predominantly associated with Poland and its diaspora, it has also been found in other countries with Polish communities, such as the United States and Canada, where Polish immigrants brought the name with them during various waves of migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nowark
Among Census respondents with the surname Nowark, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nowark 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 Nowark surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nowark
Nowark 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-17 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,667 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 23,667 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 6,788 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 Nowark 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 | #146,201 | #152,989 | -4.6% |
| Count | 113 | 105 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nowark bearers went from 113 to 105 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 6,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #152,989.
FAQ
Nowark surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nowark?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Nowark. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Nowark?
Nowark ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Nowark. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Nowark.
Has Nowark become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nowark went from 113 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Nowark?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nowark, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Nowark in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nowark appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Nowark (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 Nowark mean?
A surname derived from a place name, possibly from the Polish town of Nowarka. 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 Nowark (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 Nowark?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.