2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Posz
A Polish surname derived from a nickname for someone chubby or plump.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Posz. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Posz 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 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 Posz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Posz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Posz
The surname Posz originates from Poland and is believed to have first emerged in the late 15th century. It likely derived from the Polish word "pos", meaning a person's posture or bearing. The earliest recorded instances of the name were found in historical documents from the town of Krakow, which was a prominent city in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
One of the earliest known references to the Posz name dates back to 1492, when a certain Jan Posz was mentioned in a municipal record from the city of Krakow. This document detailed a land transaction involving Jan Posz and another local landowner. The name was also found in various parish records and tax registers from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of Lesser Poland and Silesia.
A notable figure with the Posz surname was Stanislaw Posz, a Polish nobleman who lived from 1620 to 1687. He served as a military commander during the Polish-Swedish War and was known for his bravery in battle. Stanislaw Posz was also a prominent landowner and held significant estates in the region of Lesser Poland.
In the 18th century, a family by the name of Posz resided in the town of Bielsko, which was then part of the Prussian province of Silesia. One of their descendants, Kazimierz Posz (1776-1842), was a respected scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Slavic languages.
Another individual of note was Franciszek Posz (1819-1891), a Polish engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing an early version of the internal combustion engine and held several patents for his innovative designs.
By the 19th century, the Posz name had spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany and Austria. One notable figure from this era was Johann Posz (1842-1912), a German botanist and horticulturist who made important contributions to the study of plant genetics and hybridization.
Throughout its history, the Posz surname has maintained a strong presence in Poland and other regions of Central and Eastern Europe. While its origins can be traced back to the late medieval period, the name has endured and continues to be carried on by families across various countries and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Posz
Among Census respondents with the surname Posz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Posz 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 Posz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Posz
Posz 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,303 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 17,303 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,405 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 Posz 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 | #156,044 | #151,639 | 2.8% |
| Count | 104 | 107 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Posz bearers went from 104 to 107 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #151,639.
FAQ
Posz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Posz?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Posz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Posz?
Posz ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Posz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Posz.
Has Posz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Posz went from 104 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Posz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Posz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) 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 Posz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Posz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (6.5%), 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 Posz (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 Posz mean?
A Polish surname derived from a nickname for someone chubby or plump. 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 Posz (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 Americans have the surname Posz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.