2000
#37,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 557
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Polanski
A Polish surname indicating the bearer's geographic origin or former residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 735 Americans carry the last name Polanski. That puts it at #37,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 466,332 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Polanski 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
735
1 in 466,332
Census rank
#37,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
641
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 641 bearers of the surname Polanski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Polanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Polanski
The surname Polanski originated in Poland, tracing its roots back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "pole," meaning "field" or "countryside," and may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in rural areas.
During the Middle Ages, surnames became increasingly common in Poland, often reflecting a person's occupation, place of origin, or physical characteristics. The name Polanski likely emerged as a descriptive surname, initially identifying individuals who hailed from specific rural regions or towns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Polanski can be found in a 14th-century Polish census record, which mentions a Mikołaj Polanski residing in the village of Polanka near Krakow. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname, denoting a person's connection to a particular place.
In the 16th century, the name Polanski appears in several historical documents, including legal records and property deeds. Notable individuals from this period include Jan Polanski (1523-1587), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Poznan, and Katarzyna Polanska (1541-1612), a renowned herbalist and midwife who practiced in the region of Lesser Poland.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Polanski name continued to spread across Poland, with several families of notable aristocratic and intellectual lineage bearing the surname. One such figure was Józef Polanski (1676-1744), a respected scholar and professor of philosophy at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow.
In the 19th century, the name Polanski gained further recognition with the birth of Władysław Polanski (1810-1878), a celebrated Polish composer and pianist who gained fame for his innovative compositions and virtuosic performances throughout Europe.
Another prominent individual with the Polanski surname was Maria Polanska (1884-1972), a pioneering Polish educator and advocate for women's rights, who played a crucial role in establishing several educational institutions and promoting equal opportunities for women in Poland.
Throughout its history, the surname Polanski has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, academics, politicians, and entrepreneurs, all contributing to the rich tapestry of Polish culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Polanski
Among Census respondents with the surname Polanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Polanski 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 Polanski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 608
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 12
- Two or more races1.9% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Polanski
Polanski 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
#41,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 523
-34 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 3,988 places
2020
#37,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 641
+118 bearers (+22.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 4,216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,591 | 557 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,579 | 523 | 0.18 | -34 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 3,988 places |
| 2020 | #37,363 | 641 | 0.21 | +118 bearers (+22.6%) | Up 4,216 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 Polanski 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 | #41,579 | #37,363 | 10.1% |
| Count | 523 | 641 | 22.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.21 | 19.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Polanski bearers went from 523 to 641 (+22.6% change). The surname moved up 4,216 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,579 to #37,363.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Polanski
FAQ
Polanski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Polanski?
Name Census estimates that about 735 living Americans carry the surname Polanski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 466,332 residents.
How common is Polanski?
Polanski ranks #37,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 641 people with the surname Polanski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (735), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Polanski.
Has Polanski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Polanski went from 523 recorded bearers to 641. That is an increase of 118 (+22.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #41,579 to #37,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Polanski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Polanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Polanski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Polanski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Polanski (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 Polanski mean?
A Polish surname indicating the bearer's geographic origin or former residence. 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 Polanski (0.21 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 last name Polanski?
You can see how many people have the surname Polanski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.