2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pociecha
A Polish surname derived from the word meaning "comfort" or "consolation".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Pociecha. 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 Pociecha 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 Pociecha 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 Pociecha, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pociecha
The surname Pociecha originates from Poland and is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Polish word "pociecha," which means "consolation" or "comfort." The name likely referred to a person who provided solace or encouragement to others.
One of the earliest known records of the Pociecha surname can be found in the Akta Grodzkie Krakowskie (Krakow Grod Records), a collection of legal documents from the 15th and 16th centuries. The name appears in various spellings, such as Pocziecha and Poczecha, reflecting the phonetic variations common in historical records.
The Pociecha family is said to have originated from the region of Lesser Poland, particularly the areas around Krakow and the Małopolska region. Some historical sources suggest that the name may have been associated with villages or towns bearing similar names, such as Pociecha or Pociechanów, although these connections are not definitively established.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Pociecha surname was Mikołaj Pociecha (c. 1510-1580), a Polish nobleman and landowner from the Małopolska region. He served as a courtier and diplomat for King Sigismund I the Old and later held the position of Voivode of Podolia.
Another prominent individual with the Pociecha surname was Jan Pociecha (1592-1642), a Polish military commander and nobleman who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars during the 17th century. He is remembered for his bravery and service to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In the 18th century, Franciszek Pociecha (1736-1814) was a renowned Polish architect and urban planner. He is credited with the design and reconstruction of several significant buildings and urban projects in Warsaw and other Polish cities.
During the 19th century, the Pociecha surname continued to be present in various regions of Poland. Józef Pociecha (1828-1892) was a Polish writer and poet who gained recognition for his literary works, including poetry collections and novels.
The Pociecha surname has also been found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as Germany and Austria, suggesting that some individuals bearing this name may have migrated or had ancestors from Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pociecha
Among Census respondents with the surname Pociecha, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Pociecha 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 Pociecha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 106
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pociecha
Pociecha appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,705 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 Pociecha 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 | #156,044 | #152,339 | 2.4% |
| Count | 104 | 106 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pociecha bearers went from 104 to 106 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #152,339.
FAQ
Pociecha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pociecha?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Pociecha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Pociecha?
Pociecha 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 Pociecha. 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 Pociecha.
Has Pociecha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pociecha went from 104 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Pociecha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pociecha, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Pociecha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pociecha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Pociecha (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 Pociecha mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word meaning "comfort" or "consolation". 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 Pociecha (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 have the surname Pociecha?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.