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

Podolski, 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 Podolski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Podolski in America

Podolski is the 41426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Podolski surname appeared 525 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Podolski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Podolski 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 Podolski

The surname Podolski originates from Poland, where it first emerged in the late 15th century. The name is derived from the historical region of Podole, located in what is now western Ukraine. This region's name is derived from the Polish word "podole," meaning "lower lands" or "lowlands," referring to its geographic location.

The earliest recorded instances of the Podolski surname can be found in Polish parish records and municipal archives from the late 15th and early 16th centuries. These records often list individuals with variations of the spelling, such as Podolsky, Podoliski, or Podolski, indicating the name's evolution over time.

One notable historical reference to the name Podolski can be found in the 1570 census records of the city of Krakow, which listed several families with this surname residing within the city walls. This suggests that the name had already become established among Polish nobility and gentry by the mid-16th century.

In the 17th century, the Podolski surname appears in various Polish military records, indicating that individuals bearing this name served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's armed forces. One such individual was Jan Podolski (1610-1678), a cavalry officer who fought in the Swedish-Polish wars of the mid-17th century.

As the name spread throughout Poland and into neighboring regions, it also gained prominence in other fields. In the 18th century, Franciszek Podolski (1728-1807) was a renowned Polish painter and portraitist, whose works can still be found in several Polish museums and galleries.

During the 19th century, the Podolski surname became associated with Polish intellectuals and academics. Wawrzyniec Podolski (1810-1887) was a prominent Polish linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of the Polish language and its historical development.

In more recent times, the name Podolski has gained international recognition through the achievements of Polish-German footballer Lukas Podolski, born in 1985. He represented both the German and Polish national teams and played for several top European clubs, including Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and Galatasaray.

While the Podolski surname has its roots in Poland and the historical region of Podole, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by Polish immigrants and their descendants. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the rich cultural heritage of Poland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Podolski

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Podolski, please contact us.

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