2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Podobinski
A Polish occupational surname derived from the word "podobny" meaning resembling or similar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Podobinski. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Podobinski 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Podobinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Podobinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Podobinski
The surname PODOBINSKI is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Wielkopolska, which was once part of the Duchy of Pomerania. The name is derived from the Polish word "podobny," meaning "similar" or "alike," suggesting that it may have been given to someone who resembled another person or shared characteristics with someone else.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PODOBINSKI surname can be found in the Tarnów land records from 1390, where a certain Jan Podobinski is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the family may have held a prominent position in the area during that time period.
In the 16th century, the PODOBINSKI name appeared in the parish records of Kalisz, a city in central Poland. These records provide valuable insights into the genealogy of the PODOBINSKI family and their connections to other notable families in the region.
During the 17th century, a branch of the PODOBINSKI family settled in the village of Strzegocin, near the city of Leszno. This is evident from the church records of the time, which document the births, marriages, and deaths of several PODOBINSKI families in the area.
One notable figure bearing the PODOBINSKI surname was Józef Podobinski (1792-1867), a Polish writer and poet who is best known for his works on Polish folklore and traditions. His collection of poems, "Dumki Wiejskie" (Village Thoughts), published in 1845, received critical acclaim and helped to preserve the rich cultural heritage of rural Poland.
Another individual of note was Wacław Podobinski (1856-1932), a Polish engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the mining industry in the Silesian region of Poland. He is credited with introducing modern mining techniques and improving working conditions for miners in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, the PODOBINSKI name gained further prominence with the birth of Zygmunt Podobinski (1912-1998), a renowned Polish sculptor and painter. His works, which often depicted scenes from rural life and Polish folklore, are celebrated for their attention to detail and deep cultural significance.
Throughout history, various spellings of the PODOBINSKI surname have been recorded, including Podobiński, Podobieński, and Podobiński. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and variations in pronunciation across different parts of Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Podobinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Podobinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Podobinski 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 Podobinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 112
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Podobinski
Podobinski 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,764 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-10 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,045 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,764 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 11,045 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 Podobinski 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 | #134,712 | #145,757 | -8.2% |
| Count | 125 | 115 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Podobinski bearers went from 125 to 115 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 11,045 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #145,757.
FAQ
Podobinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Podobinski?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Podobinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Podobinski?
Podobinski ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Podobinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Podobinski.
Has Podobinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Podobinski went from 125 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Podobinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Podobinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Hispanic (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 Podobinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Podobinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Hispanic (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 Podobinski (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 Podobinski mean?
A Polish occupational surname derived from the word "podobny" meaning resembling or similar. 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 Podobinski (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 Podobinski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.