2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rackowski
A Polish occupational surname derived from "raca" meaning distiller or brewer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Rackowski. 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 Rackowski 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 Rackowski 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 Rackowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rackowski
The surname Rackowski is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Malopolska, located in the southern part of modern-day Poland. The name is derived from the Polish word "rak," which means "crab" or "crayfish," suggesting a possible occupational or toponymic origin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rackowski surname can be found in the "Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie" (Records of Territorial and Castle Courts) from the 16th century, where a certain Jakub Rackowski is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Raków near Krakow.
In the 17th century, the Rackowski family gained prominence in the Galician region of Poland, with records indicating their involvement in the local administration and military affairs. Notably, Jan Rackowski (1620-1688) served as a captain in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's army during the Polish-Swedish War.
The 18th century saw the Rackowski surname spread to other parts of Poland, with instances of the name appearing in various historical documents and records. One notable figure from this period was Marcin Rackowski (1732-1804), a prominent lawyer and judge in the city of Lublin.
As the 19th century dawned, the Rackowski family continued to make its mark in various fields. Franciszek Rackowski (1812-1891) was a renowned painter and art teacher, whose works can be found in several Polish museums and galleries. Additionally, Józef Rackowski (1844-1912) was a celebrated architect and urban planner, responsible for the design of numerous buildings and public spaces in Warsaw.
In the 20th century, the Rackowski surname gained international recognition with the achievements of Antoni Rackowski (1912-1992), a Polish-American physicist and engineer who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II and the subsequent space race.
Other notable individuals bearing the Rackowski surname include Janina Rackowski (1920-2005), a Polish writer and translator known for her works on Polish literature and culture, and Marek Rackowski (born 1964), a contemporary Polish artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited worldwide.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rackowski
Among Census respondents with the surname Rackowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rackowski 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 Rackowski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rackowski
Rackowski 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+7 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,354 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,438 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 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 2,354 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 5,438 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 Rackowski 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 | #146,201 | #151,639 | -3.7% |
| Count | 113 | 107 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rackowski bearers went from 113 to 107 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 5,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #151,639.
FAQ
Rackowski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rackowski?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Rackowski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Rackowski?
Rackowski 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 Rackowski. 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 Rackowski.
Has Rackowski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rackowski went from 113 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Rackowski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rackowski, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Rackowski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rackowski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Rackowski (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 Rackowski mean?
A Polish occupational surname derived from "raca" meaning distiller or brewer. 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 Rackowski (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 share the surname Rackowski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.