2000
#5,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Olszewski
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "alder tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,849 Americans carry the last name Olszewski. That puts it at #6,409 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,601 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olszewski 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Olszewski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,601
Census rank
#6,409
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,101 bearers of the surname Olszewski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6409th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olszewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olszewski
The surname Olszewski is of Polish origin, derived from the word "olsza" meaning "alder tree" in Polish. This name likely originated in areas of Poland where alder trees were abundant, such as near rivers or wetlands.
The name can be traced back to the 15th century in Poland. One of the earliest recorded instances is from a document dated 1467, which mentions a person named Mikolaj Olszewski from the village of Olszowa near Krakow.
Variations of the spelling include Olszewski, Olszowsky, Olschewski, and Olschowsky. These different spellings reflect regional dialects and language variations within Poland over time.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various Polish records, such as court documents and land registries. One notable example is Jan Olszewski, a landowner and nobleman from the Krakow region who lived in the mid-1500s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Olszewski name became more widespread across Poland, with families bearing this surname found in different regions of the country. Some notable individuals from this time period include Kazimierz Olszewski (1637-1699), a Polish military officer and nobleman, and Franciszek Olszewski (1722-1784), a Polish Catholic priest and writer.
In the 19th century, several individuals with the Olszewski surname gained recognition. Antoni Olszewski (1824-1904) was a Polish painter and artist known for his landscapes and portraits. Wladyslaw Olszewski (1837-1905) was a Polish engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of early telephone systems.
Another notable person with this surname was Stanislaw Olszewski (1860-1915), a Polish chemist and physicist who conducted pioneering work on the liquefaction of gases and low-temperature physics.
As the Olszewski name spread beyond Poland due to migration and diaspora, it can be found in various forms in other countries, such as Olshewski in the United States and Olshevsky in Russia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olszewski
Among Census respondents with the surname Olszewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Olszewski 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 Olszewski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 4,798
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 154
- Two or more races1.6% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 37
- Black or African American0.4% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olszewski
Olszewski 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
#6,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,554
-74 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 509 places
2020
#6,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,101
-453 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,655 | 5,628 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,164 | 5,554 | 1.88 | -74 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 509 places |
| 2020 | #6,409 | 5,101 | 1.71 | -453 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 245 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 Olszewski 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 | #6,164 | #6,409 | -4.0% |
| Count | 5,554 | 5,101 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.88 | 1.71 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olszewski bearers went from 5,554 to 5,101 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,164 to #6,409.
FAQ
Olszewski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olszewski?
Name Census estimates that about 5,849 living Americans carry the surname Olszewski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,601 residents.
How common is Olszewski?
Olszewski ranks #6,409 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,101 people with the surname Olszewski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,849), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Olszewski.
Has Olszewski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olszewski went from 5,554 recorded bearers to 5,101. That is a decrease of 453 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,164 to #6,409.
What does the Census say about the background of Olszewski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olszewski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Olszewski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (4,798 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olszewski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Olszewski (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 Olszewski mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "alder tree." 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 Olszewski (1.71 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 common is the surname Olszewski?
Find out how many people are called Olszewski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.