2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ptasnik
Of Polish origin, referring to a poultry farmer or keeper of birds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Ptasnik. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ptasnik 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Ptasnik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ptasnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ptasnik
The surname PTASNIK is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Polish word "ptasnik," which translates to "bird catcher" or "fowler." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in the profession of catching or trapping birds, potentially for food, sport, or even falconry.
The name PTASNIK is believed to have originated in the regions of Lesser Poland and Silesia, which were part of the Kingdom of Poland during the Middle Ages. Some of the earliest documented instances of this surname can be found in historical records from cities such as Krakow and Wroclaw.
One of the earliest known references to the PTASNIK name comes from a 15th-century manuscript housed in the Jagiellonian University Library in Krakow. This document mentions a certain "Jan Ptasnik," who was a resident of the city at that time.
In the 16th century, the PTASNIK name appeared in various Polish court records and census documents, indicating that the family had established itself in various parts of the country. One notable figure from this era was Piotr Ptasnik, a landowner and minor nobleman who lived in the village of Przeginia near Krakow in the late 1500s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the PTASNIK surname continued to spread throughout Poland, with several individuals bearing this name achieving recognition in various fields. For instance, Maciej Ptasnik (1625-1698) was a renowned Catholic priest and theologian who authored several religious texts and served as a professor at the University of Krakow.
Another prominent figure was Karolina Ptasnik (1780-1842), a noblewoman and philanthropist from the Lublin region, who was known for her charitable efforts in supporting local orphanages and schools.
In the 19th century, the PTASNIK name gained further prominence with the birth of Józef Ptasnik (1831-1911), a renowned Polish historian and archivist who made significant contributions to the study of medieval Poland. He served as the director of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv, one of the oldest and most prestigious libraries in Eastern Europe.
Towards the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, the PTASNIK surname also found its way into the artistic and literary realms. Wincenty Ptasnik (1871-1938) was a celebrated Polish painter known for his landscapes and portraiture, while Kazimierz Ptasnik (1885-1962) was a respected novelist and playwright who explored themes of rural life and Polish identity in his works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ptasnik
Among Census respondents with the surname Ptasnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ptasnik 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 Ptasnik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ptasnik
Ptasnik 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+21 bearers (+19.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,799 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-17 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,398 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+19.8%) | Up 10,799 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 16,398 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 Ptasnik 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 | #133,048 | #149,446 | -12.3% |
| Count | 127 | 110 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ptasnik bearers went from 127 to 110 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 16,398 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #149,446.
FAQ
Ptasnik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ptasnik?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Ptasnik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Ptasnik?
Ptasnik ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Ptasnik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Ptasnik.
Has Ptasnik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ptasnik went from 127 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Ptasnik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ptasnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Ptasnik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ptasnik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Ptasnik (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 Ptasnik mean?
Of Polish origin, referring to a poultry farmer or keeper of birds. 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 Ptasnik (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 surname Ptasnik?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.