Find out how popular the last name Ostrowski is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ostrowski.

Ostrowski, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ostrowski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ostrowski in America

Ostrowski is the 5015th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ostrowski surname appeared 7,005 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Ostrowski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ostrowski to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ostrowski

The surname Ostrowski is of Polish origin, originating from the region of Wielkopolska in western Poland. It is a toponymic surname, derived from the place name "Ostrów," which means "island" or "marsh" in Polish.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Ostrowski can be traced back to the 14th century, when it appeared in various Polish records and documents. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jan Ostrowski, a Polish nobleman who lived in the late 14th century and served as a courtier to King Władysław II Jagiełło.

In the 16th century, the Ostrowski family gained prominence in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with several members holding important positions in the government and military. One notable figure was Jakub Ostrowski (1510-1568), a Polish diplomat and military commander who served as the Castellan of Sandomierz.

During the 17th century, the Ostrowski surname became associated with several prominent Polish writers and intellectuals. One of the most famous was Jan Andrzej Ostrowski (1610-1684), a Polish poet and philosopher who was a member of the prestigious Polish Brethren, a Protestant group that advocated for religious tolerance.

Another notable bearer of the Ostrowski surname was Tomasz Ostrowski (1735-1817), a Polish nobleman and military officer who played a significant role in the Kościuszko Uprising against Russian rule in the late 18th century.

In the 19th century, the Ostrowski family continued to produce notable figures, including Józef Ostrowski (1850-1923), a Polish painter and art critic who was a prominent figure in the Young Poland movement, a group of artists and writers who sought to revive Polish culture and identity.

Throughout its history, the Ostrowski surname has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Ostrowsky, Ostrovskii, and Ostrovskiy, reflecting the diverse regions and ethnicities within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and later the Russian Empire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ostrowski

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ostrowski.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ostrowski was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ostrowski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ostrowski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ostrowski, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!