2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Papierski
A Polish surname derived from the word "papier" meaning paper, likely referring to a papermaker or someone involved in paper-related trades.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Papierski. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Papierski 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Papierski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Papierski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Papierski
The surname Papierski is of Polish origin, deriving from the Polish word "papier" meaning paper. It is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century, referring to individuals involved in the production or trade of paper.
The name first appeared in historical records from the region of Wielkopolska, located in west-central Poland. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Gniezno Archdiocese records from the late 16th century, where a Pawel Papierski is mentioned as a papermaker.
In the 17th century, the name Papierski can be found in the records of the city of Poznan, which was a major center of trade and commerce during that time. The Papierski family was likely involved in the paper trade or production within the city.
The name Papierski is also present in the records of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, one of the oldest universities in Europe. In the 18th century, a Jan Papierski is listed as a student of philosophy at the university.
One notable individual with the surname Papierski was Jozef Papierski, a Polish painter and illustrator born in 1865 in Warsaw. He was known for his landscapes and illustrations for children's books.
Another significant figure was Wladyslaw Papierski, a Polish military officer and diplomat who served as the Polish ambassador to the United States in the 1920s. He played a crucial role in maintaining diplomatic relations between Poland and the United States during that period.
In the 19th century, the surname Papierski can be found in various regions of Poland, including the areas of Silesia, Pomerania, and the Duchy of Warsaw. This suggests that the name had spread across different parts of the country by that time.
While the surname Papierski is predominantly Polish, it has also been recorded in other Slavic countries, such as Ukraine and Belarus, likely due to migration and intermarriage between neighboring regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Papierski
Among Census respondents with the surname Papierski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Papierski 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 Papierski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Papierski
Papierski 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,325 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,325 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 8,198 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 Papierski 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 | #144,141 | #152,339 | -5.7% |
| Count | 115 | 106 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Papierski bearers went from 115 to 106 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 8,198 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,339.
FAQ
Papierski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Papierski?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Papierski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Papierski?
Papierski ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Papierski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Papierski.
Has Papierski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Papierski went from 115 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Papierski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Papierski, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Black (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 Papierski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Papierski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (9.4%), Black (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 Papierski (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 Papierski mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "papier" meaning paper, likely referring to a papermaker or someone involved in paper-related trades. 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 Papierski (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 Papierski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.