2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Popielarski
A Polish occupational surname referring to someone who produced or worked with ash.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Popielarski. 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 Popielarski 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 Popielarski 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 Popielarski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Popielarski
The surname Popielarski originates from Poland, emerging in the late Middle Ages around the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "popiel," meaning "ash" or "cinders," likely referring to an occupation or location associated with ash production or distribution. The name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone involved in activities related to ash, such as a charcoal burner or a worker in a lime kiln.
The earliest recorded instances of the Popielarski name can be found in historical documents and records from various regions of Poland, including the areas around Krakow, Poznan, and Warsaw. Some of the earliest known individuals bearing this surname include Jan Popielarski, a merchant from Krakow who was mentioned in a trade registry in 1432, and Maciej Popielarski, a landowner from the village of Popielów near Poznan, whose name appears in a land deed from 1478.
During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the Popielarski name gained prominence among the Polish nobility and gentry. Notable figures from this era include Stanisław Popielarski (1570-1641), a renowned military commander who served under King Sigismund III Vasa, and Anna Popielarska (1602-1672), a noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and her collection of Renaissance paintings.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, several Popielarski families were prominent landowners and industrialists in various regions of Poland. One notable example is the Popielarski family from the town of Piotrków Trybunalski, who owned a successful textile manufacturing business during the Industrial Revolution.
Other notable individuals with the Popielarski surname include:
1. Józef Popielarski (1845-1912), a Polish writer and journalist who was actively involved in the Polish independence movement.
2. Kazimierz Popielarski (1892-1968), a renowned Polish architect who designed several notable buildings in Warsaw, including the Prudential Building.
3. Maria Popielarska (1923-2008), a Polish actress and theater director who was a leading figure in the Polish theater scene during the 20th century.
4. Andrzej Popielarski (born 1959), a Polish economist and academic who has served as the Rector of the University of Warsaw since 2016.
5. Katarzyna Popielarska (born 1982), a Polish volleyball player who has represented Poland in several international competitions, including the Olympic Games.
The Popielarski name has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, landowners, military leaders, artists, writers, and academics, among others. While its origins can be traced back to occupational or descriptive roots, the name has evolved to become a distinct and recognized Polish surname over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Popielarski
Among Census respondents with the surname Popielarski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Popielarski 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 Popielarski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Popielarski
Popielarski 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-19 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,497 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-25 bearers (-19.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,514 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 20,497 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-19.1%) | Down 22,514 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 Popielarski 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 | #129,825 | #152,339 | -17.3% |
| Count | 131 | 106 | -19.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Popielarski bearers went from 131 to 106 (-19.1% change). The surname moved down 22,514 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #152,339.
FAQ
Popielarski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Popielarski?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Popielarski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Popielarski?
Popielarski 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 Popielarski. 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 Popielarski.
Has Popielarski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Popielarski went from 131 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 25 (-19.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Popielarski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Popielarski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Popielarski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Popielarski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Popielarski (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 Popielarski mean?
A Polish occupational surname referring to someone who produced or worked with ash. 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 Popielarski (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 have the last name Popielarski?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Popielarski, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.