2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Saletnik
A surname possibly derived from a Slavic word meaning "small residential building" or "cottage".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Saletnik. 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 Saletnik 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 Saletnik 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 Saletnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saletnik
The surname Saletnik originates from Poland, tracing its roots back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "saletra," meaning "saltpeter" or "potassium nitrate," a crucial ingredient in the production of gunpowder. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in the manufacture or trade of saltpeter during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Saletnik name can be found in a 16th-century Polish census record, where it appeared as "Salietnyk." This variation in spelling was common during that era, reflecting regional dialects and phonetic adaptations. The name's connection to saltpeter production implies that the earliest bearers of this surname may have resided in areas with a strong presence of such industries.
Historians have uncovered references to individuals bearing the Saletnik name in various historical documents and records from the 16th to the 19th centuries. For instance, Marcin Saletnik, a prominent merchant and landowner, was mentioned in a 17th-century property deed from the town of Krakow, indicating the family's influence and social standing at the time.
Notable figures with the Saletnik surname include Jadwiga Saletnik (1768-1842), a renowned Polish painter and portraitist whose works adorned the homes of many aristocratic families in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Another prominent individual was Jan Saletnik (1892-1968), a revered Polish writer and poet whose works explored themes of national identity and the struggles of rural life.
In the 19th century, the Saletnik name appears in records from the village of Wieliczka, near Krakow, where a family of Saletniks owned a successful saltpeter mining operation. This further reinforces the connection between the surname and the saltpeter industry.
Other notable bearers of the Saletnik name include Kazimierz Saletnik (1901-1988), a respected Polish engineer who contributed significantly to the development of modern bridge construction techniques, and Wanda Saletnik (1928-2005), a celebrated Polish actress known for her roles in numerous theater productions and films during the mid-20th century.
While the Saletnik surname is predominantly found in Poland, it has also been carried by individuals of Polish descent in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other countries with significant Polish immigrant communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saletnik
Among Census respondents with the surname Saletnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Saletnik 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 Saletnik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 103
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saletnik
Saletnik 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+6 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,385 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-35 bearers (-24.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,938 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 3,385 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -35 bearers (-24.1%) | Down 29,938 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 Saletnik 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 | #119,508 | #149,446 | -25.1% |
| Count | 145 | 110 | -24.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saletnik bearers went from 145 to 110 (-24.1% change). The surname moved down 29,938 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #149,446.
FAQ
Saletnik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saletnik?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Saletnik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Saletnik?
Saletnik 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 Saletnik. 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 Saletnik.
Has Saletnik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saletnik went from 145 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 35 (-24.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #119,508 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Saletnik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saletnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Saletnik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saletnik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Saletnik (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 Saletnik mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Slavic word meaning "small residential building" or "cottage". 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 Saletnik (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 last name Saletnik?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Saletnik on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.