2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Siekierka
A Polish surname derived from the word for "hatchet" or "small axe".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Siekierka. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Siekierka 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Siekierka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Siekierka, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Siekierka
The surname SIEKIERKA originated in Poland, derived from the Polish word "siekiera" which means "axe" or "hatchet". It likely referred to an ancestor's occupation as a woodcutter or lumberjack. The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 15th century in various regions of Poland.
One notable historical reference to the SIEKIERKA surname can be found in the "Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie" (Records of the Crown Tribunal and Territorial Court) from the 16th century. These records document legal proceedings and transactions involving individuals with this surname in various Polish territories.
In the 17th century, the SIEKIERKA surname appeared in the parish records of the village of Dobrzyn nad Wisłą, located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship of central Poland. This suggests that the name may have originated in or near this region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the SIEKIERKA surname was Jan Siekierka, born around 1620 in the town of Kowal, located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. He was a landowner and farmer who was mentioned in historical land records from the mid-17th century.
Another notable figure was Tomasz Siekierka (1730-1804), a Polish noble and landowner from the village of Łęki Małe, located in the Masovian Voivodeship of east-central Poland. He was a prominent figure in the local community and his name appears in various historical documents from the late 18th century.
During the 19th century, the SIEKIERKA surname spread to other parts of Poland and beyond. Franciszek Siekierka (1856-1932) was a Polish-American entrepreneur who emigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and established a successful business in Chicago, Illinois.
In the early 20th century, Stanisław Siekierka (1890-1962) was a Polish soldier and military officer who fought in World War I and later served in the Polish Army during the interwar period.
The SIEKIERKA surname can also be found in historical records from other countries, such as Germany and Ukraine, likely due to migration and population movements over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to Poland and the Polish language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Siekierka
Among Census respondents with the surname Siekierka, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Siekierka 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 Siekierka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Siekierka
Siekierka 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+9 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,063 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-12 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,060 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 1,063 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 13,060 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 Siekierka 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 | #128,249 | #141,309 | -10.2% |
| Count | 133 | 121 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Siekierka bearers went from 133 to 121 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 13,060 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #141,309.
FAQ
Siekierka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Siekierka?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Siekierka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Siekierka?
Siekierka ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Siekierka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Siekierka.
Has Siekierka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Siekierka went from 133 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Siekierka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Siekierka, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Siekierka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Siekierka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Siekierka (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 Siekierka mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word for "hatchet" or "small axe". 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 Siekierka (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 Americans have the surname Siekierka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.