2000
#9,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,002
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Polak
A surname indicating Polish origin or ethnicity, derived from the Polish endonym referring to a Pole.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,270 Americans carry the last name Polak. That puts it at #10,704 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,818 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Polak 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 Polak with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,818
Census rank
#10,704
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,852 bearers of the surname Polak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10704th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Polak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Polak
The surname Polak originates from Poland and is a Polish name derived from the word "Polak," which means "a Pole" or "a person from Poland." The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages when surnames began to be widely adopted across Europe.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Polak can be traced back to the 14th century in various Polish records and manuscripts. One notable mention is in the Księga Henrykowska (The Book of Henryków), a medieval Latin manuscript from the late 14th century, where the name "Polak" appears.
In the 15th century, the name Polak can be found in the Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie (Acts of Territorial and Castle Courts), a collection of court records from various regions of Poland. These records often listed individuals by their surnames, providing valuable insights into the distribution and prevalence of certain names during that period.
During the Renaissance period, the name Polak was associated with several notable figures, including Jan Polak (c. 1450-1519), a Polish mathematician and astronomer who worked at the University of Krakow and made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry.
Another historical figure bearing the surname Polak was Stanisław Polak (1539-1584), a Polish diplomat and writer who served as the secretary to King Stefan Batory and played a crucial role in the diplomatic relations between Poland and other European countries.
In the 17th century, the name Polak appeared in the records of the Potop Szwedzki (The Deluge), a series of invasions and wars that ravaged Poland between 1655 and 1660. One notable individual from this period was Jerzy Polak (c. 1620-1680), a Polish military commander who fought against the Swedish invaders during the Deluge.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Andrzej Polak (1720-1796), a Polish poet and playwright who was known for his satirical works and contributions to the development of Polish literature.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the name Polak gained further prominence with the birth of Kazimierz Polak (1859-1944), a renowned Polish painter and illustrator who was celebrated for his watercolor landscapes and depictions of rural life in Poland.
While the surname Polak is most commonly associated with Poland and its historical figures, it has also been adopted by individuals of Polish descent in various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural influences of the Polish diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Polak
Among Census respondents with the surname Polak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Polak 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 Polak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 2,677
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 107
- Two or more races1.3% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Polak
Polak 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
#9,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,313
+311 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 136 places
2020
#10,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,852
-461 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 924 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,916 | 3,002 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,780 | 3,313 | 1.12 | +311 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 136 places |
| 2020 | #10,704 | 2,852 | 0.95 | -461 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 924 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 Polak 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 | #9,780 | #10,704 | -9.4% |
| Count | 3,313 | 2,852 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 0.95 | -14.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Polak bearers went from 3,313 to 2,852 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 924 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,780 to #10,704.
FAQ
Polak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Polak?
Name Census estimates that about 3,270 living Americans carry the surname Polak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,818 residents.
How common is Polak?
Polak ranks #10,704 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,852 people with the surname Polak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,270), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Polak.
Has Polak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Polak went from 3,313 recorded bearers to 2,852. That is a decrease of 461 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,780 to #10,704.
What does the Census say about the background of Polak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Polak, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Polak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (2,677 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Polak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Polak (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 Polak mean?
A surname indicating Polish origin or ethnicity, derived from the Polish endonym referring to a Pole. 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 Polak (0.95 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 common is the surname Polak?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Polak? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.