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

Pawlak, 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 Pawlak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pawlak in America

Pawlak is the 8019th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pawlak surname appeared 4,127 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pawlak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pawlak 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 Pawlak

The surname Pawlak is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "pawlak," which means "a man from a small village or town." The name likely originated in the rural areas of central Poland, where many small hamlets and villages dotted the landscape.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pawlak surname can be found in the Książęca Księga Henrykowska (The Henryków Book of Princes), a medieval Polish manuscript dating back to the late 13th century. This document contains records of land ownership and transactions, including references to individuals with the Pawlak name.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Pawlak surname became more widespread throughout Poland, appearing in various historical records and documents. Notable individuals bearing this name include Jan Pawlak (1548-1618), a Polish nobleman and landowner from the Masovian region, and Katarzyna Pawlak (1601-1676), a prominent figure in the Polish Reformation movement.

In the 17th century, the Pawlak surname gained further prominence with the birth of Michał Pawlak (1638-1711), a renowned Polish mathematician and astronomer. His contributions to the fields of mathematics and celestial mechanics were significant, and he is credited with developing new methods for calculating the orbits of comets.

Another notable figure was Stanisław Pawlak (1745-1821), a Polish military commander who fought in the Kościuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in the late 18th century. His bravery and leadership during the rebellion earned him widespread recognition and respect among his compatriots.

The 19th century saw the rise of Józef Pawlak (1819-1887), a influential Polish writer and journalist who played a vital role in promoting the Polish language and literature during the period of partitions. His works, which often explored themes of national identity and cultural preservation, were widely read and celebrated across the Polish lands.

As the centuries progressed, the Pawlak surname continued to be associated with various notable individuals, including artists, scholars, and political figures, all of whom contributed to the rich cultural tapestry of Poland and its diaspora communities around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pawlak

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

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 Pawlak 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 Pawlak 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 Pawlak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pawlak, 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!