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

Rakowski, 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 Rakowski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rakowski in America

Rakowski is the 14307th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rakowski surname appeared 2,092 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 Rakowski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rakowski 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 Rakowski

The surname RAKOWSKI is of Polish origin, and it can be traced back to the 15th century. The name is derived from the Polish word "rak," which means "crab," and the suffix "-owski," which indicates belonging or association. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname for someone who was associated with crabs, perhaps a fisherman or a crab seller.

The earliest recorded instance of the name RAKOWSKI can be found in the Metryka Koronna, an archive of official documents from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention a nobleman named Jan Rakowski, who served as a courtier in the court of King Sigismund III Vasa in the early 17th century.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname RAKOWSKI was Kazimierz Rakowski, a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Bar Confederation, a revolutionary movement against the increasing Russian influence in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

During the 19th century, the name RAKOWSKI became more widespread across various regions of Poland. One notable individual was Karol Rakowski, a Polish writer and journalist who lived from 1825 to 1894. He was known for his contributions to the Polish literary scene and his advocacy for Polish independence during the period of partitions.

In the early 20th century, Mieczysław Rakowski, a Polish politician and journalist, played a significant role in the development of the Polish Workers' Party (later the Polish United Workers' Party). He served as the Prime Minister of Poland from 1988 to 1989, during the transition period that led to the fall of communism in the country.

Another notable figure with the surname RAKOWSKI was Anna Rakowski, a Polish-American writer and professor who lived from 1922 to 2010. She was known for her contributions to Polish literature and her work in promoting Polish culture and language in the United States.

The name RAKOWSKI has also been associated with various places and regions in Poland. For example, the village of Rakowo in the Masovian Voivodeship, as well as the Rakowski Palace in Warsaw, a historic building that once belonged to a noble family bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rakowski

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

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

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

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