2000
#14,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Piasecki
A Polish habitational surname derived from places named Piasek or Piaski, meaning "sand" or "sandy area."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,430 Americans carry the last name Piasecki. That puts it at #13,691 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Piasecki 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 Piasecki with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,051
Census rank
#13,691
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,119 bearers of the surname Piasecki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13691st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Piasecki, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Piasecki
The surname Piasecki is of Polish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Polish word "piasek," meaning "sand," suggesting a connection to a sandy or sandy-haired person. The name likely originated in regions with sandy soil or dunes, such as central or northern Poland.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Piasecki name can be found in the Polish Nobility Books, which document the noble families of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 15th to the 18th centuries. These records indicate that the Piasecki family was a prominent noble lineage, suggesting the name's long-standing presence in Polish history.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Jan Piasecki (birth and death dates unknown) was a renowned Polish poet and translator. His works, including translations of classical literature, contributed significantly to the development of the Polish literary tradition during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent individual with the Piasecki surname was Hieronim Piasecki (1588-1657), a Polish historian and chronicler. He is best known for his work "Chronica Gestorum in Europa Singularium," a detailed chronicle of events in Europe during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, Józef Piasecki (1800-1863) was a Polish military officer who played a significant role in the November Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1830-1831. He later became a prominent figure in the Polish emigration movement and worked towards the restoration of Poland's independence.
The Piasecki name also has connections to the town of Piaseczno, located near Warsaw. This place name likely originated from the same root as the surname, reflecting the area's sandy terrain. Some early records may have referred to individuals as "de Piaseczno" or similar variations, indicating their association with this locality.
Throughout its history, the Piasecki surname has been linked to various notable individuals, including writers, historians, military figures, and nobles, reflecting the name's deep roots in Polish culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Piasecki
Among Census respondents with the surname Piasecki, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Piasecki 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 Piasecki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,988
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 60
- Two or more races2.2% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Piasecki
Piasecki 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
#14,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
+110 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 342 places
2020
#13,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,119
+58 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 794 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,143 | 1,951 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,485 | 2,061 | 0.70 | +110 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 342 places |
| 2020 | #13,691 | 2,119 | 0.71 | +58 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 794 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 Piasecki 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 | #14,485 | #13,691 | 5.5% |
| Count | 2,061 | 2,119 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.71 | 1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Piasecki bearers went from 2,061 to 2,119 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 794 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,485 to #13,691.
FAQ
Piasecki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Piasecki?
Name Census estimates that about 2,430 living Americans carry the surname Piasecki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,051 residents.
How common is Piasecki?
Piasecki ranks #13,691 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,119 people with the surname Piasecki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Piasecki.
Has Piasecki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Piasecki went from 2,061 recorded bearers to 2,119. That is an increase of 58 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,485 to #13,691.
What does the Census say about the background of Piasecki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Piasecki, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Piasecki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,988 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Piasecki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Piasecki (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 Piasecki mean?
A Polish habitational surname derived from places named Piasek or Piaski, meaning "sand" or "sandy area." 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 Piasecki (0.71 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 many people are called Piasecki?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Piasecki on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.