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

Polkowski, 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 Polkowski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Polkowski in America

Polkowski is the 45959th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Polkowski surname appeared 464 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 Polkowski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Polkowski 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 Polkowski

The surname Polkowski is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "pole" meaning "field" or "plain." The name likely originated in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, when surnames were becoming more common in Poland.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Polkowski can be found in historical records from the regions of Mazovia and Greater Poland, where it was likely adopted by individuals living or working in rural areas or agricultural settlements. The name may have been initially used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near a field or on a plain.

One of the earliest known references to the name Polkowski can be traced back to the 15th century, in a document from the town of Pułtusk, located in the Masovian Voivodeship. The document mentions a certain Jan Polkowski, who was a landowner in the area.

In the 16th century, the name Polkowski appeared in various legal and administrative records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. For instance, in 1562, a nobleman named Andrzej Polkowski was mentioned in the records of the Sejm (Polish parliament) as a representative from the Poznań Voivodeship.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Polkowski was Maciej Polkowski, a Polish Catholic priest and philosopher who lived in the 16th century (1525-1592). He was a renowned professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and authored several works on logic and philosophy.

Another notable figure with the surname Polkowski was Józef Polkowski, a Polish painter and engraver who lived in the 18th century (1718-1782). He is best known for his portraits and religious paintings, which can be found in various churches and museums throughout Poland.

In the 19th century, the name Polkowski was associated with several prominent individuals, including Aleksander Polkowski (1805-1879), a Polish military officer and engineer who served in the November Uprising against the Russian Empire.

Another notable bearer of the name was Kazimierz Polkowski (1859-1939), a Polish artist and painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in Poland.

During the 20th century, the surname Polkowski continued to be widespread in Poland, and individuals with this name made contributions in various fields, such as literature, academia, and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Polkowski

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

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

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

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