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

Polakoff, 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 Polakoff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Polakoff in America

Polakoff is the 65244th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Polakoff surname appeared 304 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 Polakoff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Polakoff 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 Polakoff

The surname Polakoff is of Russian origin, with roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is a patronymic form derived from the Polish word "Polak," which means "a Polish person." The suffix "-off" or "-ov" is a common Russian patronymic ending indicating lineage or ancestry.

Polakoff is believed to have originated in the regions of modern-day Poland and Belarus, where there were significant Polish populations living under Russian rule. The name likely emerged as a way to identify individuals of Polish descent residing in areas controlled by the Russian Empire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Polakoff can be found in the Russian Empire census records from the late 18th century. These documents provide valuable insights into the geographical distribution and prevalence of the surname during that time period.

In the 19th century, several notable individuals bearing the Polakoff surname made significant contributions in various fields. One such figure was Alexander Polakoff (1810-1891), a prominent Russian-American entrepreneur and banker who established the Polakoff Bank in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Another notable bearer of the name was Alexander Polakoff (1867-1935), a Russian-born American banker and philanthropist who founded the Polakoff Foundation, which supported various charitable causes in New York City.

In the realm of literature, the name Polakoff is associated with the Russian-American author and journalist Anna Polakoff (1878-1955), whose works explored themes of immigration and cultural assimilation.

The Polakoff surname also gained recognition in the field of music, with the Russian-born American composer and pianist Vladimir Polakoff (1884-1957), whose compositions blended elements of Russian and American musical traditions.

It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the surname, such as Poliakoff, Poljakoff, or Polyakoff, may have existed due to transliteration differences between languages or regional variations in pronunciation.

While the Polakoff surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration waves of the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, the earliest records and historical references provide valuable insights into the origins and evolution of this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Polakoff

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

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

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

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