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

Pulaski, 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 Pulaski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pulaski in America

Pulaski is the 15418th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pulaski surname appeared 1,900 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pulaski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pulaski 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 Pulaski

The surname Pulaski originates from Poland, derived from the Polish town of Puławy. The name first appeared in the 12th century, with the earliest recorded instance being Hieronim Puławski, a Polish nobleman who lived between 1135 and 1195.

The name Pulaski is believed to have evolved from the Old Polish word "pulować," which means "to hunt" or "to chase." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been hunters or soldiers who engaged in pursuit or chasing activities.

In the 13th century, the Pulaski family gained prominence in Poland, with several members holding important positions in the military and government. One notable figure was Kasper Pulaski, a Polish-Lithuanian military commander who fought against the Russian Empire during the Bar Confederation uprising in the late 18th century.

Kasper Pulaski later joined the American Revolutionary War and became a renowned cavalry officer, earning the title "Father of the American Cavalry." He was mortally wounded in the Battle of Savannah in 1779 and is remembered as a hero in both Poland and the United States.

Another notable Pulaski was Józef Pułaski, a Polish composer and pianist who lived from 1805 to 1838. He was a prominent figure in the early Romantic period and is considered one of the first Polish composers to gain international recognition.

In the 19th century, the Pulaski name spread beyond Poland due to immigration. One prominent bearer of the name was Michael Pulaski, a Polish-American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1834 to 1916. He made significant contributions to the development of Chicago and was instrumental in establishing several charitable institutions in the city.

The name Pulaski has also been associated with various place names, such as Pulaski County in Arkansas, Pulaski County in Georgia, and the town of Pulaski in Tennessee, all named in honor of Casimir Pulaski, the Polish-American Revolutionary War hero.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pulaski

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

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

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

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