Poliakoff
A surname indicating an individual with origins in the Polish city of Połock.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Poliakoff. That puts it at #152,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poliakoff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#152,628
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Poliakoff in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poliakoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poliakoff
The surname Poliakoff originates from Russia and Poland, deriving from the Russian word "polyak," meaning a Polish person or someone from Poland. This surname likely emerged during the Middle Ages when Poland and Russia had frequent interactions and cultural exchanges.
Poliakoff is a patronymic surname, indicating that it was initially formed by adding the possessive suffix "-off" or "-ov" to the root name "Poliak." This naming convention was common in Slavic countries, denoting a person's place of origin or ancestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Poliakoff surname can be found in the Velvet Book, a 15th-century manuscript documenting noble families in Russia. The name appears in various spellings, including Polyakov, Polyakoff, and Poljakoff, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings during that time.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Poliakoff family settled in the city of Novgorod, where they became prominent merchants and landowners. Historical records show that in 1587, Ivan Poliakoff was granted a charter by Tsar Feodor I, allowing him to establish trade routes between Novgorod and the Baltic regions.
Another notable figure bearing the Poliakoff surname was Grigory Poliakoff (1675-1742), a Russian diplomat and statesman who served as an ambassador to several European courts during the reign of Peter the Great. His diplomatic efforts played a crucial role in strengthening Russia's relationships with Western powers.
During the 19th century, the Poliakoff family gained prominence in the arts and sciences. Vasily Poliakoff (1810-1868) was a renowned Russian painter known for his landscape and genre scenes, while his brother, Nikolai Poliakoff (1818-1892), was a celebrated geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil fuels.
In the 20th century, the Poliakoff name gained international recognition through the work of renowned physicist Sir John Poliakoff (1914-2006). Born in London to Russian-Jewish parents, Sir John made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of nuclear physics and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986 for his work on neutron scattering.
Another prominent individual with the Poliakoff surname was the Russian-American writer and poet Vladimir Poliakoff (1897-1973). His literary works, which often explored themes of exile and cultural identity, were widely acclaimed and earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious Pushkin Prize in 1967.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poliakoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Poliakoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%.
The bar chart below shows how Poliakoff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Poliakoff surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4%
- Unknown or suppressed5.6%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Poliakoff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #138,741 | #152,628 | -10.0% |
| Count | 111 | 107 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Poliakoff bearers went from 111 to 107 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 13,887 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,741 to #152,628.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Poliakoff
FAQ
Poliakoff surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Poliakoff?
The surname Poliakoff holds position #152,628 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 137 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Poliakoff surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poliakoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.