2010
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shimanski
A surname likely of Polish origin, derived from the Polish term "szymon" meaning "Simon".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Shimanski. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shimanski 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Shimanski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shimanski
The surname Shimanski is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the 15th century in the region that is now modern-day Poland. It is derived from the Polish word "szymański," which itself is a patronymic form of the personal name "Szymon," the Polish version of the biblical name Simon.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Shimanski dates back to 1487, when a certain Jan Shimanski was mentioned in a document from the town of Wrocław, then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. This document, preserved in the archives of the city, suggests that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
In the 16th century, the name can be found in various records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including tax rolls and parish registers. One notable bearer of the name was Marcin Shimanski, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Poznań in the late 1500s.
As the Polish nobility began to rise in prominence during the 17th and 18th centuries, the Shimanski name was associated with several prominent families. One such family was the Shimanskis of Kraków, who played a significant role in the city's political and cultural life during this period.
The 19th century saw a wave of Polish immigration to the United States, and the Shimanski name was carried across the Atlantic by many of these immigrants. One of the earliest recorded Shimanskis in America was Jan Shimanski, who arrived in New York City from the Prussian Province of Posen (now part of Poland) in 1848.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Shimanski. These include:
1. Józef Shimanski (1795-1862), a Polish painter and art teacher who was active in Warsaw during the early 19th century.
2. Katarzyna Shimanski (1854-1921), a Polish writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education.
3. Stanisław Shimanski (1873-1945), a Polish architect who designed several notable buildings in Kraków and Lviv (now in Ukraine).
4. Wacław Shimanski (1901-1981), a Polish-American mathematician and professor at the University of Chicago, known for his contributions to the field of functional analysis.
5. Olga Shimanski (1920-2008), a Polish-born dancer and choreographer who gained international recognition for her innovative work in modern dance.
While the Shimanski name has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to many parts of the world, carried by generations of immigrants and their descendants. Today, it continues to be a testament to the rich cultural heritage and history of the Polish people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shimanski
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shimanski 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 Shimanski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 95
- Two or more races14.2% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shimanski
Shimanski appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-12 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,509 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 12,509 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 Shimanski 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 | #134,712 | #147,221 | -9.3% |
| Count | 125 | 113 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shimanski bearers went from 125 to 113 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 12,509 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #147,221.
FAQ
Shimanski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shimanski?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Shimanski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Shimanski?
Shimanski ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Shimanski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Shimanski.
Has Shimanski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shimanski went from 125 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Shimanski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimanski, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.2%) 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 Shimanski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shimanski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Two or More Races (14.2%), 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 Shimanski (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 Shimanski mean?
A surname likely of Polish origin, derived from the Polish term "szymon" meaning "Simon". 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 Shimanski (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 are called Shimanski?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Shimanski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.