2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Polizos
A Greek surname derived from the word "polis" meaning city or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Polizos. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Polizos 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Polizos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Polizos, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Polizos
The surname Polizos is of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word "polis" meaning "city" or "town". It is believed to have originated in the Byzantine era, during the Middle Ages, and was initially used to denote someone who lived in or was a resident of a particular town or city.
The earliest known records of the surname Polizos date back to the 14th century, where it appeared in various manuscripts and documents from the Greek regions of the Byzantine Empire. One notable mention was in a land registry from the island of Crete, where a certain Ioannis Polizos was listed as a landowner in the year 1368.
In the 15th century, the name Polizos was found in several historical records from the Greek island of Rhodes, which was then under the rule of the Knights Hospitaller. These records included tax records and legal documents, indicating that the surname was well-established in the region at that time.
As the centuries progressed, the Polizos surname spread to other parts of Greece and the wider Greek diaspora. One prominent figure bearing the name was Georgios Polizos (1675-1743), a Greek scholar and philosopher who taught at the prestigious Patriarchal School in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Polizos surname was Konstantinos Polizos (1820-1892), a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of Greece in the 1860s.
Another significant figure with the Polizos surname was Ioannis Polizos (1855-1932), a Greek writer and journalist who played a pivotal role in the establishment of modern Greek literature. His works, including novels and short stories, explored themes of social criticism and the struggles of the working class.
During the 20th century, the Polizos surname continued to be prominent in Greece and among Greek communities around the world. One notable individual was Dimitrios Polizos (1910-1998), a Greek-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who made significant contributions to educational institutions and cultural organizations in both Greece and the United States.
Overall, the surname Polizos has a rich history rooted in the Greek language and culture, with its origins dating back to the Byzantine era. It has been carried by scholars, politicians, writers, and entrepreneurs throughout the centuries, making it a distinctive and enduring surname within the Greek diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Polizos
Among Census respondents with the surname Polizos, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Polizos 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 Polizos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 106
Timeline
Historical Census data for Polizos
Polizos appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,093 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 6,093 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 Polizos 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 | #158,432 | #152,339 | 3.8% |
| Count | 102 | 106 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Polizos bearers went from 102 to 106 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 6,093 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,339.
FAQ
Polizos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Polizos?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Polizos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Polizos?
Polizos ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Polizos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Polizos.
Has Polizos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Polizos went from 102 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Polizos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Polizos, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Polizos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Polizos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Polizos (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 Polizos mean?
A Greek surname derived from the word "polis" meaning city or town. 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 Polizos (0.04 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 share the surname Polizos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.